On'nanoko Kurasshu (Girl Crush)
by SoDontMindMei
Summary: Troublesome Yuzu was sent to a new school "Aihara Academy" after a family member suggested to her mother it would help her stay out of trouble and away from bad influences. Yuzu figured nothing could change her ways. That was until she met Mei Aihara who's been asked to watch over her and her studies.
1. Chapter 1

"Mama, I don't understand why you agreed with Ojisan and are forcing me to go to this school!" Yuzu groaned.

Ume sighed, "I'm only doing this for your own good, Yuzuko. You're always getting into trouble..."  
Yuzu rolled her eyes as she stomped back to her room, slamming the door.

"Ugh, this is going to suck," Yuzu said as she began getting dressed and putting on makeup-for her first day. Finally, ready and looking her hottest to make sure she'd impress those around her, she walked out to her mother.

"Please don't get into any trouble Yuzu. It was difficult enough getting you into this academy," Ume pleaded with her daughter. "Yeah, yeah don't worry mama. I'll be fine!" Quickly eating breakfast, she stood up and hugged her mother.

"But just so you know, this isn't going to change me!" she'd yelled as she walked out the door on her way to her new school.

"Aihara Academy... ALL GIRLS SCHOOL?!" Yuzu shouted as faces turned towards her.

"What the fuck is this about? Not only am I sent to a completely different school, but there's no cute boys either," Yuzu groaned as she walked up the main path with her phone in her hand.

"Excuse me, miss? Phones aren't allowed," a girl with glasses spoke. "Huh? Well that's a stupid rule!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"Also, your hair color, clothes, and accessories are all against the student handbook rules. I'm going to have to write you up miss...?"

She gave Yuzu a questioning look. "Okogi Yuzu," the blonde answered. "I'm a new student, so how the hell was I supposed to know about any of these dumbass rules on my first day?" The girl pushed her glasses up a bit "I'm sorry, I'll have to confiscate your device miss", she said while writing down notes in her booklet.

"No way in hell am I giving you my phone!" Yuzu shouted.

Just then another voice was heard, a woman with flowing, silky black hair walked up. "Is there an issue here?" She seemed so calm and collected, but her eyes were dull, almost lifeless.

"What's with all these rules? It's my first fuc- "Yuzu was suddenly interrupted.

"I'll have you know these rules are what make each student successful throughout this academy," the girl had stated. "On top of that, your use of language is also unacceptable."

She calmly walked towards Yuzu snatching her phone from her hands and walked away saying, "If this happens again, there will be unimaginable consequences...Okogi."

Yuzu was stunned. The girl who spoke in front of her a moment ago leaving her completely speechless. "Who...the...hell...was that?"

The beginning of her first day already started off horribly and Yuzu wasn't looking forward to spending the rest of her school days here_. "Jesus, this place is huge. Where the hell is my class?"_ Yuzu wondered.

"Yo, new girl!" shouted a voice from afar.  
Yuzu looked around, puzzled until she caught eyes with another girl. She had chestnut hair and... huge boobs.

"Uh, hi. Do I know you?" Yuzu asked.

"No, but I saw what happened earlier. The prez went easy on you! You got lucky," the other girl responded.

"The names Taniguchi Harumi, but you can call me Harumin" she smiled kindly.

"Okogi Yuzuko" she responded and went in for a handshake, but suddenly got dragged into a hug. "Yuzucchi it is!" Harumin shouted out while wrapping her arms around the blonde tightly.

"Gah...Harumin, I can't breathe!" Yuzu breathlessly saying.

"Sorry Yuzzuchi," the chestnut-haired girl apologized.

"So, let's see...it looks like we have the same class together. You can come with me."

The two girls made their way to the classroom. As Yuzu walked in, the first thing she noticed was the black-haired girl. She was glaring at the blonde with her intense purple eyes. Yuzu grunted, _'great, I have the same class with this bitch,'_ she thought to herself.

Class went by painfully slow. Yuzu just couldn't wait to get out of school for the day. In any case, she at least made a friend on her first day. Everyone else at the school seemed like robots, doing as they're told, as if they had no desire to break out of their dull shells. "Such boring people...", Yuzu rolled her eyes.

The day went by much faster after lunch, and her first day finally ended.

"Yo, Yuzzuchi," Harumin called out grabbing ahold of the blonde's arm. "Want to go shopping or something? My sister won't be home for a while, so I've got time to kill.

"Sure, don't see why not," Yuzu smiled as her green eyes lit up to this offer.

A few feet behind them, the raven-haired girl is heard. "I suggest you two change out of your uniforms before going out. It is against school rules to be seen in public while wearing them," she'd said with a stern look, her purple orbs seemingly beaming into their souls.

"Oh god, another stupid rule. What's with you people?" Yuzu complained. "I'd rather not waste my time doing that." Harumin looked mortified by Yuzus responses and soon cut in saying, "Sorry Prez! We will head home first."

"Does everyone just do as you say?" Yuzu moved closer to the girl. "Or are they too much of a pussy to stand up to you, hmm?"  
Harumi pulled the blonde to the side whispering, "Uhm, I suggest you do as Mei says, we don't want to get in trouble."

"Ha, what's she going to do?" Yuzu chuckled. Mei smirked at that response, "A student like you has no place here at this academy. You are much of a disgrace." Yuzu scoffed, "What strong words coming from the so called _'student council president'_, you're just a bitch!" Mei was the one to move closer this time, inches from Yuzus face.

Yuzu's face reddened a bit at the closeness of their faces. _'Oh god, she's so close to me...she smells so good...like lilacs,'_ she thought to herself. As soon as the thought appeared, it vanished.

Yuzu shook her head and attempted to stand her ground. No way was she going to let this girl walk all over her and control her.

"I hope you enjoy cleaning bathrooms. You'll be doing that for a week, both of you," Mei stood there firmly while glaring at the two.

"We do not want our academy looking anything but immaculate, but with you here...it's already quite _too_ filthy."

The black-haired girl smirked then walked away, hips swaying back and forth.

Harumin stood there, mouth agape. "Damnit Yuzu, you shouldn't have fucked with her."  
The blondes face was scrunched, she was filled with anger. "Tsk, calling me filthy? Let's see how she feels when this shit hole isn't so 'immaculate'."

Harumin decided to go home and change first and talked Yuzu into it as well, despite what just went down at the academy. The blonde was angry, but they already had cleaning duty for the week, and she thought it would be best to not worsen their punishment for Harumin's sake.

"I can't believe that girl!" Yuzu wasn't going to just let her have her way. She was forced into this situation, it seemed only necessary to get some type of pay back.

"That's how she's always been, at least since I've known her. Her and her grandfather control that school. I wouldn't suggest fucking with the system," Harumin explained as they strolled around a makeup store.

Yuzu thought for a moment, then quickly looked up to Harumin. "So... you down for getting a little revenge?" Yuzu mischievously grinned. The chestnut-haired girl looked rather nervous. "...revenge?"

"Yeah, let's graffiti the building!" Yuzu seemed thrilled by this sudden idea of her own. "Dude, no fucking way am I doing that!" Harumin at this point thought her blonde-haired friend had lost her mind.

"Fine, fine...if you don't want to be a part of it, I'll manage." Harumin wanted no part in these antics, as her sister used to be the old student council president. She would absolutely kill her.

"You do you, Yuzzuchi...just please don't get caught."

Yuzu gave her signature peace sign and smile, "Don't worry, I used to do this stuff all the time. I won't get caught!"

After the girls said their goodbyes, Yuzu headed to a hardware store to pick up the items she needed for her little plan.

Back where she used to live, her and a few of her friends would go around the town defacing signs and buildings for the thrill of it. This is the first time she'd decided to do it just to piss a specific person off.

It was dark now and Yuzu knew her mother wouldn't be back until much later. She decided to head out and put her choice of spray paint colors, purple and green, in her backpack. She didn't want to seem obvious so she went out in normal attire.

Finally making her way to the academy, she'd hopped over the wall and up to the schools main doors.

"Let's see how_ filthy_ your precious school will look now", Yuzu said aloud with a smug look, eyes narrowed. Shaking the cans, she began defacing the front doors.

The blonde sighed, wiping sweat off her forehead. Her masterpiece was complete. In front of her in purple and green spray paint, the perfect words to describe the school.

She smirked slightly, "my work here is- "

Suddenly red and blue lights appeared at the gates. "Shit, shit, shit!" Yuzu silently said to herself. "How'd anyone know I was here?" The blonde suddenly realized there had to be some motion sensor around that was triggered.

Yuzu picked up her belongings and ran towards the wall she'd jumped over to begin with, but before she could get there she tripped and fell to the ground. It was too late to run at this point; the cop was right in front of her.

"Uh oh..." she knew she couldn't run at this point.

"What are you doing here? The school is closed at these hours," the man said in a stern voice. He noticed a spray paint can had fallen out of her bag. "What did you do?" he'd questioned and was soon answered by what he saw written on the doors.

_'Welcome to Awhore-a's Academy'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks everyone for your feedback and support on my first fanfic. It means a lot to me! I'll try my best to update the story frequently, but my schedule can be weird sometimes. Anyways, onto chapter two!**

Yuzu sat at the police station, fingers tapping rapidly on her thigh. '_Mama is going to kill me_' she thought to herself.

Moments passed by and suddenly a door flung open. Ume angrily walked over to her daughter; eyebrows narrowed. "Yuzuko!" she yelled loudly. People around began to stare, as she continued to raise her voice. "What were you thinking? I asked you to do one simple thing..."

"I'm sorry mama," the blonde looked down in shame. She really wasn't sure what else to say.

"I had to leave work because of your stupid decision! Do you know how much this will cost me to fix YOUR screw up?" Yuzu had never seen her mother so angry. She could see the veins popping out of her neck.

Suddenly the door had flung open once again. An old man walked in and faced towards one of the officers. "What is the meaning of this? He looked even more pissed off than Ume.

"Excuse me sir, you're the Chairman of Aihara Academy, correct?" The officer seemed a bit intimidated by the man who stood in front of him. He simply nodded.

_'__He looks so scary'_ Yuzu thought to herself as she trembled a bit in her seat.

"What is this nonsense I've heard about one of my students? I could not imagine one of them would disgrace my academy in such a way!"

Yuzu lifted her head up finally, hearing from a distance just how upset the Chairman was. Finally, he'd looked over to the girl sinking lower in her chair. "You...you're the new student, are you not?" he'd questioned with irritation in his voice. Ume marched towards him, waving her hands. "I apologize for my daughter's behavior. I can assure you something like this won't happen again".

"No, of course it will not. I do not accept people like _her_ in my academy!" He spat back while pointing a finger at the blonde girls' face. He grunted angrily before tearing down Yuzu with three final words, "You are expelled!"

Yuzu gasped, standing up quickly. Ume shot her a warning glare and Yuzu plopped back down. Then quickly the brown-haired woman grabbed onto the old man's arm, "Wait, there has to be something else we can do about this, sir!" He tore his arm away from the woman. "There is nothing else to discuss here. I'll see that the costs for damage are sent to you immediately. You will gather your belongings in the morning. Now get out of my face!" he'd said harshly as he walked out of the building.

Ume exhaled deeply, putting her hand over her forehead. There was nothing she could do, and she was very disappointed in her daughter. "Let's go, Yuzuko," she said in almost a whisper.

Yuzu rose slowly, dragging her feet across the tile floor. "Mama..." Ume put her hand up and shook her head, "I don't want to speak to you right now Yuzu." The teen frowned as they made their way out to the car.

The drive home was awkwardly silent. Yuzu had her window down, letting her hair blow through the wind. In between cars passing, she could faintly hear her mother sniffling. The girl was known to get in trouble often, but her mother thought maybe with a change of pace, her daughter would grow up. Yuzu knew the pain in her chest all too well; she hated causing the other woman to cry.

Once they arrived at their apartment, Yuzu gave her mom a saddened look then made her way through the front door.

"Yuzu..." Ume sighed.

"Mama, I can get a job or something and pay back the school" Yuzu suggested.

The woman sat down at the dining table, hands covering her face, "I'm not sure how to handle you anymore. I sometimes wish your father was here."

Yuzu's eyes widened, suddenly drowning in more guilt. "Why did you even do this?" Ume questioned.

"Well...there's this girl at my school who was kind of being a bitch towards me so..." Yuzu got quieter by the end of her sentence.

Ume gave her daughter a blank stare, "So, you decided that ruining private property was the best way to deal with it?! Jesus Christ, Yuzu."

"I wasn't supposed to get caught," the teen mumbled.

"Who is she? I can't imagine one girl was worth getting in trouble over. You're lucky the police let you off easy."

Yuzu scratched the back of her neck, looking away slightly, "Just the chairman's granddaughter..."

Ume's green eyes widened as she stood up from the dining chair, swinging her hands up. "Great! Not only did you piss off the Chairman, you're not even getting along with his granddaughter."

"To be fair, she really isn't that nice of a person anyway," Yuzu shrugged.

"Alright, you, just go to your room and stay there. I'm going out for a drink,"the brunette said before grabbing her jacket and purse she'd had next to her while heading back for the front door.

"Seriously?!" Yuzu groaned, sluggishly walking to her room. The green-eyed girl sighed and jumped into her bed._ 'Could things get any worse?"_

Ume took a train to the other side of town, where things were much livelier. She wasn't one to go out and drink usually, but today she needed to get away and clear her head. Making her way down the street she found a little pub on the corner. It didn't look as crowded as many of the others, so she'd decided to head in and take a seat at the bar.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked with a smile. "I'll just take a rum and coke, please."

Ume stirred her alcoholic beverage that was handed to her while looking around. _'This place is actually kind of dead_.'

From the corner of her eye, she noticed a tall, handsome man with vibrant purple eyes sit next to her and accidentally bump elbows with her.

He grinned, "Aha sorry about that!" Ume smiled back to him, "No worries..."

He ruffled his hair a bit, "Uhm, I'm Sho Aihara."

"Aihara? As in the academy?" Ume asked.

"Yep! My father is the Chairman there." The brunette sighed, "How funny...my daughter just got expelled from there." Sho's eyes widened "My father can be harsh at times, but whatever she did, it must've been bad."

Realizing how rude that might've sounded he put his hands up, "I mean, uh...sorry that came out wrong. It's just- "he was suddenly cut off.

"No, you're right. She vandalized the building," Ume chuckled at how awkward the man really was.

The woman sighed, "Maybe if I were home more often, she wouldn't act out. It's just us two there. Maybe she gets lonely?" Ume leaned forward and rested her palm on her cheek. "Anyway, sorry for bothering you about this," Ume said with an unconvincing smile.

The man smiled back, nevertheless. "You know...I don't know how successful I'll be, but I could try talking to him. Maybe there's another way around the situation?" he thought out loud while rubbing his pointer finger and thumb on his scruffy chin. Ume's green eyes gleamed with joy.

Hours passed as the two continued talking well into the early morning. Ume was quite intoxicated at this point and decided to take a train back home. Yuzu was still awake reading a fashion magazine since she wasn't going to be able to get her phone back until later that day.

Yuzu heard the door slam close. Walking out into the living room she saw her mother stumbling, obviously drunk. "He...hey *_hiccup_* Yu...zu!" Ume said with slurred words. The teen rolled her eyes at the brunette. "Mama, you're drunk. Let me get you to bed."

"Don't, uh, don't worry...I'm just gonna sleep right..." Looking around, the room was spinning. "...here", she finally said laying down and rolling into cradle position on the hardwood floor. "Mama, you're not going to be very comfortable there" the blonde laughed out loud, seeing how silly her mother could be while intoxicated.

Yuzu smiled to herself as she covered up Ume with a blanket and kissed her on the cheek before heading back to her bedroom for the night.

Morning came and Yuzu dreaded having to go back to the academy. At least she wouldn't have to deal with it after that day, but she knew her mother was still going to be upset with her._ 'On the bright side, I'll get my phone back!' _

"Yuzu!" A knock was heard on her bedroom door. "One sec mama, I'm getting dressed!" the blonde yelled back. Opening the door, she noticed her mother smiling from ear to ear. "Yuzu, I've just gotten a call from the school."

_'__Great...' _Yuzu thought to herself as she let out a breath of air. "I met the Chairman's son last night. He said he would talk to his father and guess what?!" Before Yuzu could even respond, Ume suddenly said "He's giving you another chance!"

"WHAT?! But how?" Yuzu looked really confused.

"We've got to head to the school, he will explain everything there."

Arriving at the academy, Yuzu noticed her 'art' was already gone._ 'Geez that was fast' _she thought to herself.

"Yuzzuchi! How did it go?" Harumin yelled as she leaped towards the blonde, wrapping her arm around the back of her neck. Soon the chestnut-haired girl noticed Yuzu wasn't alone.

"Heh...I kind of...got caught and expelled", Yuzu said nervously. Harumin's face turned into a frown. "But don't worry! Apparently, mama met someone who talked the old man into letting me back into this place", she said with a smug look.

"Really? You were only gone for like a day." Harumin seemed skeptical.

"Come on Yuzu, they are waiting for us" Ume said.

_"__They?_" the blonde gave her mother a questioning look.

Yuzu had never been to this area of the school. Not that should would've had time to, considering she was only there for one day. Walking up to the large mahogany doors, Ume knocked.

"Please come in." A deep voice was heard from the other side.

Ume walked in with Yuzu right behind her. The teen had no idea what to expect coming in here, but soon realized it couldn't be good once she saw her. Mei Aihara.

"Thank you for joining us this morning", the man spoke in a hoarse tone. "I take it you have informed the girl of what will be happening from now on?" He asked with one of his eyebrows arched.

"What exactly is happening mama? You never told me anything." At this point the blonde was completely lost on what was going on.

"Well..." Ume wanted to explain this as easily as possible to Yuzu but knew that wasn't going to happen considering how her daughter got here in the first place.

"I expect all my students to act accordingly, to follow the rules, and to meet all the academic requirements", he spoke firmly while pushing his glasses up. "As I can see from your last school, you did...poorly. Actually, you were destined to fail."

Yuzu was beginning to get furious. "Are we here just so gramps can lecture me on all this bullshit?!"

The Chairman stood up abruptly, slamming his hands on his wooden desk. "I will not tolerate that kind of language here!"

"Yuzu, please calm down and listen to him." Ume pleaded.

He huffed then continued speaking, "Your mother and I have agreed that you need disciplined in some way while she is away and not able to help you. Sho has spoken to me about the situation and you should be thankful I am allowing this!"

"ALLOWING WHAT?" the blonde asked, getting annoyed.

"Starting today, Mei will be guiding you through your academic struggles and over all wellness. She is one of the top students at this academy."

Yuzu eyes widened, replaying in her head _'Mei will be guiding you...'_

"You've got to be shitting me...? There's no way I'm letting _her _anywhere near me!" She said while crossing her arms.

"Yuzuko, stop being so rude!" Ume yelled.

"Listen here young lady..." he grunted.

"No, you listen old man!"

Mei sighed quietly beside her grandfather as the two continued to bicker back and forth.

"It is finalized and begins today. I have given you a second chance. It is your decision to be successful, so I suggest you take this seriously", the Chairman said before dismissing everyone out of his office.

"Ugh, mama is this really the only way?"

The three walked down to the front entrance, Mei following behind farther.

"I'm sorry Yuzu, but it'll be okay. Just please do as you're told. I've got to head to work," Ume said as she kissed her daughter on the forehead and waved goodbye.

"It's time for class", the purple-eyed girl spoke in a monotone voice.

Pouting, Yuzu turned around slowly. "Just because you're okay with this, doesn't mean I am!"

"I never said I was. I am just doing as I was told," Mei responded.

"So, what... are you going to be following me around everywhere?" Yuzu's eyebrows furrowed.

"Hmm, perhaps," the black-haired girl showed no emotion.

"Oh, I see, you're just doing this to piss me off!"

Mei stayed silent as they walked to class. Yuzu wanted no part in this, but she also didn't want to make her mother mad. Again.

"Fine, whatever, don't say anything!" Yuzu shouted out as she sped walked past Mei.

Mei closed her eyes slowly for a moment, sighing as she followed the blonde into the classroom.

"Psst...Yuzzuchi", Harumin leaned back into her seat. "What happened?" Yuzu saw Mei looking back, intensely staring at her. The blonde hunched down in her seat, "I'll tell you later Harumin..." The teacher soon walked in and class begun.

Mei paid no more attention to Yuzu for the remainder of class and that left her feeling a little relieved. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Mei walked up to Yuzu as class was ending, "I have student council business after school usually, but today I am going to tutor you instead."

"I really don't need your help," Yuzu spoke while rolling her eyes.

"Your grades say otherwise. As I said, I am only doing as I was told. Meet me at the library at four o'clock." Mei left the classroom with a stone-cold expression before Yuzu had the chance to speak up.

"Damn, looks like you lucked out Yuzzuchi!" Harumin laughed while slapping Yuzu on the back.

"This isn't funny Harumin! I think I'd rather be expelled than deal with her. No one is even giving me a choice in this!"

"Well...you kind of screwed up Yuzu, so take advantage of the situation. Prez is like the top-ranking student here."

Yuzu frowned, realizing it would be best to go along with it just for today. She didn't want to make her mother upset any more than she already had. Maybe she could even get her way out of the whole predicament if she plays along with it for a few days.

Time went by rather quickly, as four o'clock was creeping up on Yuzu._ 'Where the hell is the library?' _She looked around but was seemingly lost.

Turning a corner, she suddenly bumped into another figure and fell on top of them.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to run into yo-" Yuzu stopped speaking the moment she laid eyes on the person in front of her._ 'Seriously?! Out of every person I could've ran into' _she thought while gazing into the girl's purple orbs, slowly getting mesmerized.

Grunting, Mei pushed the girl off her. "Ahh, geez. You could've just waited for me to get up you know?!" the blonde spat out angrily.

Pushing past her, Mei said nothing as she walked away. _"_Hey! Wait up for me. I don't know where the library is!" Yuzu sped up to the black-haired girl. "Are you going to say anything?"

Pausing for a moment, Mei stared at Yuzu and with a stern voice only said, "You're late."


	3. Chapter 3

For the past two weeks, the library was Mei and Yuzu's meeting spot. When Mei had student council duty, they would just meet afterwards.

It was difficult for Mei to get the blonde to study, but the only way she was going to impress her grandfather was to be successful in changing the blonde's troublesome habits.

At the library, Mei took a seat across from Yuzu. "How far behind were you at your other school anyway?" the younger girl asked.

"I mean I did some of the work..." Yuzu said while scratching her head. _'She probably thinks I'm completely stupid_' the blonde thought while watching Mei bring out books and papers.

"Exams are coming up in a month, so you need to be more serious about this," Mei stated.

"I have been trying, I just don't understand all of this and you've been shoving all this information in my head in a short amount of time," Yuzu whined.

The raven-haired girl sighed, "We will start with this today," she said as she pulled out a history book. "My Grandfather will not be satisfied unless you are in the top 100's."

"Top 100's?!" Yuzu blurted out loudly. Eyes began shooting towards the two and a few shushes were heard in the background.

"Idiot..." Mei mumbled under her breath.

Tossing the book in front of Yuzu, Mei told her to start reading a few chapters from it. _'This is going to be soo boring' _Yuzu rolled her eyes as she began reading.

Ten minutes had passed by as Mei peaked up at the blonde. Noticing Yuzu hasn't turned the page even once she tapped on the book, "Do you know how to turn pages, Okogi?"

Quickly the older girl looked up. "I'm not that dumb! This stuff is just boring as hell," Yuzu said while blowing hair out of her face.

"Perhaps we should try a different subject?" the black-haired girl suggested while taking out an algebra book from her bag.

"As if that is any better..." Yuzu groaned.

Sighing again, Mei pushed her belongings to the other side of the table next to Yuzu. "If I go through it with you, will you pay attention?" She asked while switching over to the seat beside Yuzu.

_'__Why is she being so nice to me?' _the girl wondered. "I guess I'll try," Yuzu shrugged her shoulders a bit while bringing out her work she was handed earlier that day.

Random numbers were all over the page and the blonde had no idea where to start. Mei gave Yuzu a blank stare before Yuzu finally asked, "Can you help me with this problem?"

Mei scooted closer to Yuzu, leaning in closer, inches from her. Yuzu blushed slightly at the closeness. "Let me show you," Mei said while going into grab Yuzu's pencil. Ever-so slowly it seemed, she grazed against Yuzu's hand. Mei's silky hair brushed passed Yuzu, leaving a lingering smell of lilacs again._ 'Is that the shampoo she uses?_' the blonde got lost in her thoughts.

As Mei was explaining how to solve one of the equations, Yuzu failed to listen at all.

"Do you understand this?" Mei questioned.

"Uhm..." Yuzu froze. "Yeah, yeah! I think I get it now", she'd said while giving a nervous chuckle.

Mei rolled her eyes at the other girls' behavior. She knew the delinquent hadn't been listening to a single word she'd said.

Smirking, Mei told Yuzu to solve the next problem on her own.

Suddenly realizing she couldn't get out of this Yuzu had no option, but to tell the girl she wasn't listening.

"Actually Mei- "hearing her name spoken so casually, the black-haired girl shot Yuzu a stern stare. "Uhm, I mean Aihara-San...I wasn't actually pa- "Yuzu was cut off again by the sounds of an alarm.

"What's that sound?" Yuzu shouted over the blaring noise. "It's the fire alarm, follow me quickly," Mei shouted back while grabbing onto Yuzu's hand.

Sprinting towards the exit, Yuzu looked down to their clasped hands._ 'Her hands are so soft'_ she thought as she began to blush again. Shaking her head, she attempted to get rid of these recurring thoughts. _'Get your shit together, Yuzu! She's a girl!' _

Yuzu hadn't even noticed the sprinklers were set off, as water drenched the two.

Finally, making it outside Yuzu took one look at Mei and noticed her white blouse was see-through. By now, the blondes face was two times darker than before as she could see Mei's black, frilly bra. She watched as water slowly trickled down the other girls' slender body.

"What are you staring at?" Mei asked, seemingly oblivious._ 'Oh shit!' _Yuzu internally scolded herself for staring too long.

Looking down, Yuzu noticed their hands were still connected. She quickly let go.

"No-nothing! Gah, we are all wet now!" Yuzu said.

Suddenly a voice was heard from the distance, "Apologies to all affected, this was a false alarm. It seems our system had a malfunction. Seeing as the sprinklers went off, we ask everyone to grab their belongings and head home immediately. Thank you." They then proceeded to bow and head back to where they came from.

Pulling her drenched shirt away from her slick skin, the black-haired girl said, "We should go somewhere and change."

"My mama and I don't live too far from here. We could go there," Yuzu suggested.

"I suppose so, but this does not get you out of studying. We will continue there."

"Ugh, whatever. Let's just go get our things cause I'm getting cold," the blonde whined.

Yuzu was slightly shivering as the two walked to the apartment. Mei, who kept her eyes straight forward for most of the time, glanced over to Yuzu. "You should take a bath once we get there," Mei spoke.

"No, I'll be fine..." Yuzu looked over to Mei, "You can take one though and I'll dry our clothes."

Pausing for a moment, Mei stopped to look at the blonde once more, "You will get sick, and that will interfere with your studies. You are taking one once we get there," she demanded as she started walking forward again, Yuzu catching up quickly.

"Geez, it's really not that big of a deal! Besides, waiting for both of us to take a bath will 'interfere' with what time we have left to study," Yuzu responded sarcastically.

"Perhaps we should just bathe at the same time then," the black-haired girl said with a straight face.

Yuzu's eyes widened, blushing slightly. _'We are both girls...I guess it really wouldn't be that weird, right?'_

Yuzu's heart was beating heavily as they walked into the apartment and made their way to the bedroom. Although something so simple shouldn't cause this, her mind kept wandering.

"Uh, I'll get you some clothes to wear for afterwards while our clothes dry," the blonde said while grabbing comfy grey sweatpants and a navy-blue t-shirt for herself.

"Here, you can wear these." Yuzu handed Mei black leggings and an oversized army green t-shirt.

Stepping into the bathroom, Mei began getting undressed and washing off her body under the shower. After Yuzu filled the bath, she turned around slowly. She couldn't tear her eyes away, watching the steamy water drip down from the black-haired girls back. It's as if time moved slower, taking in each movement, each breath, each strand of hair laying ever so slightly across her skin. '_I want to touch her...' _

The shower turned off and Yuzu had suddenly realized she'd being staring the whole time. "Shit!" Yuzu abruptly jumped into the bathtub as Mei turned around.

"Is something wrong?" Mei smirked knowing that Yuzu had indeed been watching her.

"N-nothing, just the water is a little too hot! That's all!" The blondes face reddened as she peaked up to see the other girl was still looking at her. "I'll, uh be quick, sorry!"

Mei dipped her left foot into the tub, then her right all without breaking eye contact from the anxious girl in front of her. She then moved slightly closer to Yuzu, not much, but enough to have Yuzu jumping up quickly. "I'm gonna get out now! The towels on the counter," Yuzu blurted out while covering herself up and running out of the bathroom.

Yuzu wrapped her hands over her over-heated body,_ 'What the hell was she doing? And why the hell was I staring at her?!' _

Five minutes went by, and the blushing girl heard the bathroom door open. Yuzu hurriedly put clothes on, even though her skin was still slightly damp. Quickly, she threw books onto the table and plopped down onto a pillow.

Mei walked in shortly after, looking down to Yuzu. "Okogi."

"Yes?!" Yuzu said in a startled tone.

"You're reading the book upside down."

"Maybe I like to read this way!" Yuzu said while folding her arms across her chest.

Mei rolled her eyes and sat down on the pillow opposite of the blonde. "Stop fooling around. You won't pass if you don't take this seriously."

Yuzu grunted. "Yeah, whatever. Can we just get this over with?"

A couple hours pass by, the two managed to get through their work for the night.

"Finally, I'm sooo tired," Yuzu said as she let out a wide yawn and stretched her arms.

Looking at the clock, Mei noticed it was already 10pm. "It is quite late. I will call someone to pick me up."

Looking down, Yuzu began fumbling with her fingers. "You...you could stay here tonight. I don't think my mama would mind."

Mei's right eyebrow arched, "I would not want to be a burden."

Yuzu stood up putting her right hand out towards Mei, "We may not always get along, but since you helped me, I figured this is the least I could do."

Scanning the room, Mei turned around to zip up her bag, ignoring Yuzu's hand.

_'__What the heck is her deal?! I'm trying to be nice!' _

Out of nowhere Mei finally spoke, "Only for tonight. Studying too late should not become a habit."

"Hey, it's not like I wanted to spend my night studying," Yuzu shot back "But...I guess you can sleep on my bed and I'll sleep on our extra futon."

"If you insist," the raven-haired girl replied while standing up and headed to the bathroom.

Yuzu opened her closet to pull out the futon but realized she couldn't find it. Rolling her eyes, she went out into the hallway to search another storage area.

_"__Where the hell is it?"_ the blonde asked herself. Suddenly Mei walked out and looked over to Yuzu, "Is everything okay?"

Yuzu sighed quietly, "I can't seem to find our futon. I thought mama had it in one of these closets, but I don't see it."

"I can sleep on the floor, it would not be a problem," Mei said while walking back into the bedroom.

"I can't make you do that! You're the guest anyway," Yuzu replied.

Instead of continuing to argue with the blonde, Mei got in the bed and said, "The bed is big enough for both of us. Can we just go to sleep now?"

"What?" Yuzu said a little harshly.

Mei rolled her eyes and laid down facing the wall.

Yuzu, beginning to blush, quickly turned off the lights, then got into the bed. She has shared a bed with other girls before, but she wasn't sure why she was suddenly getting nervous around the student council president.

_'__Why do I keep feeling like this' _Yuzu asked herself. 'I've never been nervous around another girl before. _'These sudden thoughts and feelings are all so confusing' _Yuzu let out a small groan as she turned to her side. Mei was now facing towards her and already asleep it seemed.

The moonlight in the darkened room left a slight shadow over Mei's face. "You look so peaceful", Yuzu quietly said to herself before closing her eyes.

It was early morning, causing the room to be slightly dimmed. Yuzu slowly opened her eyes and felt the weight of the bed had shifted. Looking around, she noticed she was alone. _'Geez, is she already gone?'_

The blonde lifted herself out of the now empty bed and sluggishly drug her feet across the wooden floor while rubbing her sleepy eyes. Walking out of the bedroom she heard her mother in the kitchen.

"Morning mama," Yuzu let out while yawning and coming around the corner.

"Good morning Yuzu. I'm happy to see you girls are getting along. I have invited her to have breakfast with us!" Ume happily spoke while she smiled to the tired girl.

Being half awake, Yuzu only slightly paid attention to what her mother said. She then noticed the table which usually sat only two of them, now had an extra person.

Suddenly Yuzu perked up. "Oh, I thought you had already left." This came out a little harsher than Yuzu had expected.

"Don't be rude, she is our guest!" Ume said while putting her hand on Mei's shoulder. "I'm happy you decided to study here for a change."

"Sorry… I just woke up, so I'm still a little tired mama," Yuzu apologized while sitting down across from Mei at the dining table.

"How has studying been going anyway?" Ume asked while setting down breakfast for the two on the table.

"Your daughter seems to struggle in certain subjects, but I am certain I can get her up to speed with the other students before exams," Mei blatantly said.

The blonde furrowed her eyebrows at that remark. "That's basically your way of saying I'm stupid."

"Hey now, I'm sure she didn't mean it in that way Yuzu!" The older woman said before Mei could say anything in response.

Looking over to Mei, Yuzu noticed a small smirk upon her lips. '_You DO think I'm stupid' _Yuzu thought to herself. Feeling irritation rise inside, she gave a smug look back. Noticing her mother had her back turned to them while making tea, Yuzu kicked Mei's shin underneath the table.

Mei slightly choked on her orange juice from the unexpected rough contact and began to silently wince in pain. "Why did you do that?" the black-haired girl whispered angrily.

Speaking quietly back Yuzu said, "I know what you're doing. Stop making me out to be dumb!"

Mei peaked back to see Ume was still turned around making tea, then proceeded to kick Yuzu's shin in return.

"Ouch! What the fuck?" Yuzu shouted out.

Quickly turning around, Ume raised her voice "Yuzuko, watch your language!"

"But- "Yuzu got cut off. "No buts, we don't speak that way. Especially around guests, got it?"

Groaning loudly, Yuzu set her elbow onto the table and leaned into her palm, giving Mei a dirty look. Before looking away, Yuzu noticed Mei mouthing the words **_'That's what you get' _**

The blonde scoffed in disbelief and mouthed back **'****_Fuck you' _**as she sat up from the dining table causing Mei to roll her eyes.

"I'm going to get ready now. Thanks for breakfast mama!"

"Okay Yuzu, but don't be late for school!" Ume responded.

Yuzu had finished getting ready for school and walked out to the dining room once again seeing only her mother.

"Did she leave already?" Yuzu asked.

"She had to leave soon after breakfast, so you should get going soon as well," Ume responded while getting her uniform on for work. "I will be home late tonight, so you'll have to make dinner for yourself."

"Okay mama, I'll see you later then," Yuzu said while waving goodbye and heading out the front door.

Yuzu strolled through the main entrance at the academy and made eye contact with Harumin right away.

"Hey Yuzzuchi!" the chestnut-haired girl squeezed Yuzu tightly.

"Ugh careful Harumin. I'm so worn out from all this studying," Yuzu sighed.

"I've been around Mei so much; it feels like I can finally put my guard down for a moment."

"That bad huh?" Harumin gave the blonde a pouty look while patting her on the back.

"I just want one day without having to read a damn book," the blonde grumbled.

Just as Yuzu said that, Mei and another girl with twirled, tornado-like pigtails walked up to them.

"Mei-Mei, this is that delinquent who you've been tutoring right?" The girl looked Yuzu up and down as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Who the hell are you?" Yuzu annoyingly asked.

"I'm Mei-Mei's best friend, Momokino Himeko. You better not be getting her in any trouble!" She argued while pointing a finger towards Yuzu's face.

Yuzu stepped forward abruptly, causing the purple haired girl to step back. Harumin pulled Yuzu back. "Yuzu, she isn't worth it. Let's just go to class." Mei sighed heavily, causing Yuzu to glance over at her.

"Do not be late for class you two. I will see you after my student council duties Okogi," the black-haired girl said as she began to walk towards the school doors.

"I can definitely see now that it is _that bad," _Harumin snickered.

Letting out a short huff, Yuzu crossed her arms over her chest, "Her minion can be a bitch too, go figure."

It was another mind-numbing day in school. Yuzu had no interest in today's subjects at all. She had been putting so much time into studying as is. So, instead of paying attention last period, the girl flicked open her notebook and began writing.

_'__I wish I had never gotten caught'_ the troubled girl thought as she sighed quietly and continued writing in her notebook.

'_Then I wouldn't have to be around __**her**__, I wouldn't be so frustrated, so confused, so...' _

Looking down, Yuzu realized she'd instinctively written something numerous times strewn onto the page.

Her eyes widened; it was _her _name. And a shaped heart around the name placed in the middle of the paper. Grabbing ahold of the paper in anger, she caused the page to wrinkle.

_'__What the hell?'_ It's like she was creeping into her mind, soaking into her bones, intoxicating her lungs and Yuzu couldn't understand why. It made no sense; she barely knew the raven-haired girl. So why was this happening? Maybe it was because they spent so much time together after school. Something about the girl she found interest in, but the two didn't even get along most of them time. Both were forced into this situation, yet the more time they spent together, the more Yuzu began to grow attached. Sure, she loathed studying, but she found peace in being within the presence of Mei.

Suddenly the bell rang, which caused the blonde to jump. Quickly, she shut her notebook and slid it into her bag.

Harumin turned around in her desk, "Ready for hell Yuzucchi?" she jokingly asked.

"You betcha!" Yuzu responded sarcastically.

"I can wait with you until you have to meet up with the prez if you want?" Harumin suggested.

"At least that would be one enjoyable thing I get to do today," Yuzu said while getting up from her desk.

"Let's go hang out in the cafe and get a snack then for the time being," Harumin said.

"Sounds good to me. I'm starving!" the blonde cheerfully exclaimed.

Thirty minutes passed by and Student Council members had been going through each classroom to finish their tasks for the day.

Walking into one of the classrooms, they'd first noticed a rather messy desk with books, papers, and other random items scattered around.

"You'd think this school wouldn't allow girls like this," Himeko scoffed while picking up Yuzu's ID, then shortly throwing it back onto the desk afterwards.

"It was my Grandfathers decision. I will say she is a somewhat capable student, but inconsiderate of her actions," Mei said while grabbing a notebook that was slightly sticking out of Yuzu's bag.

Furrowing her eyebrows slightly, Mei looked over to see Himeko and Kayo distracted. It wasn't like Mei to snoop, but something was pulling her to do so today.

She began tossing through the pages. Most of them consisted of algebra problems, history notes, but one page had been wrinkled. Flipping to it without hesitation, she was taken back a bit. Her name was written. The student council president realized it wasn't just her name written once though, but multiple times. She slyly hid the notebook underneath her own.

Yuzu and Harumin finished their snacks soon after and decided to head back to the classroom. As Yuzu was picking up her bag, Mei entered the room quietly.

"You," Mei said coldly.

Yuzu froze once she'd heard the familiar voice.

"What? Did I keep you waiting?" the blonde questioned in annoyance.

"Uhm, I think this is my cue to go Yuzzuchi! See ya later girl," Harumin shouted while dashing out of the classroom.

"We are studying at my grandfather's today. I am hoping this arrangement works out for you?" The raven-haired girl asked.

"Do I have any other choice?" Yuzu asked back sarcastically as she walked out of the classroom with the President.

"After the incident in the library, I figured we should study elsewhere," Mei spoke as they walked down the hallway.

"Yeah, well as long as you don't keep referring to me as an idiot, I don't care where we study," Yuzu said in a harsh tone.

"Maybe if you took studying more seriously, I would think differently," the younger girl responded.

"We have been studying non-stop, I'm obviously doing some work," Yuzu said back. "Besides, I have notes to prove it!"

"I am aware..." Mei mumbled to herself.

After 20 minutes of walking, they arrived at their destination. The first thing Yuzu noticed was how unbelievably massive the house was.

The blonde's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. "Woah, do you live here too?"

"For the time being, yes," Mei answered.

"The time being?" Yuzu questioned, but this time Mei didn't say anything back.

Deciding to not say anything else, she followed the taller girl up the stairs to a large, mostly bare room. It had a few shelves with books, a black modern desk, and a king-sized bed.

"What do you do in your spare time, stare at empty walls?" Yuzu said jokingly.

Expecting no response, Yuzu was surprised to hear Mei speak up. "I often read to pass extra time."

_'__Is she opening up to me?' _Yuzu wondered.

"What else do you do?" she asked another question in hopes of learning more about the mysterious girl she kept thinking about.

"We are here to study. Please pull out your learning materials for the day," Mei said while taking out her own schoolbooks.

A couple hours passed by, and Yuzu was beginning to feel drained from taking in so much information at once. Mei seemed to notice how drowsy the blonde was, so she suggested they take a break.

"Thank god," Yuzu cheered. "I was on the verge of passing out. I don't know how you can do this for so long."

"It is my responsibility as a student, so it is only natural," Mei said while reaching into her bag.

"I feel it is also my responsibility as Student Council President to try and understand all the students in the academy," Mei hesitated for a moment before putting a notebook onto the desk. "But I don't understand you, or this," she continued speaking while pointing at a specific page.

In that very moment, Yuzu felt as if she could die. Her face began to redden, looking almost unnatural. Sweat trickled down her forehead, and the air seemed to tighten around her chest.

_'__FUCK!' _Yuzu internally screamed, wishing she could just run away from this moment.

"I-I uh, well," the embarrassed girl couldn't even spit out an excuse, as nothing would be able to explain the situation.

_'__Yeah, Mei, I keep thinking about you even though we don't get along and you hate me!'_ Yuzu scolded herself for not being more careful.

"I've seen you staring at me. Are you possibly having weird fantasies about me too?" Mei gave Yuzu a slightly seductive look.

"It's...it's not like that! I'm not some weird perv, so don't just assume that!" Yuzu shot back rapidly.

"What is it you're wanting then?" The raven-haired girl asked.

"I don't want anything. It's just a stupid piece of paper. It doesn't mean anything, okay?" Yuzu turned her head to the side, trying to avoid eye contact.

From the corner of her eye, the blonde noticed Mei scooting closer.

"What are you doing?" Yuzu's eyes widened in realization that Mei kept moving closer until their faces were inches apart, noses only one small movement away from touching.

_'__Is she going to kiss me?!' _The confused girl began to panic as she had no idea what to do.

Unable to keep her emerald eyes locked on to the other girls' violets, she scrunched her eyes tightly shut. For a few moments the only sounds heard were ragged breaths, and Yuzu swore the whole world could hear her heart pounding against her chest.

Mei chuckled, "You are too easy," she said as she backed away.

"What the hell was all that for? You're such an asshole!" Yuzu yelled, lungs still striving for steady breaths of air.

"I wanted to see how you would react," Mei replied calmly.

"Well, it wasn't funny!" Yuzu shouted as she stood up. "I think I've had enough studying for the day. I'm going home." Yuzu turned around and grabbed her things quickly.

Mei stayed silent as Yuzu walked out the door.

"Why would she do that?" the blonde asked herself in frustration as she walked out of the mansion. "She's so awful!"

As Yuzu continued walking home, she wondered if being around Mei was a good idea anymore. She may have been catching up on studies, but after this happening she felt it would be difficult to concentrate. On top of that, things would be awkward. What did she expect? An actual kiss? She hasn't even had her first one yet.

"I don't even know why I care. She's only doing this for her own good. It's not like I care about anything of this school stuff," the girl thought out loud.

Yuzu sighed, '_Am I supposed to act like that didn't happen now?' _

Suddenly Yuzu's phone began vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out and answered.

"Hello…?"

"Yuzu! I'm so happy you picked up," the voice on the other side called out.

"Matsuri?"


	4. Chapter 4

"I've missed you Onee-Chan", the pink-haired girl said over the phone.

"I've only been gone for a few weeks, Matsuri," Yuzu responded.

"Yet you haven't called me once," Matsuri spoke in a childish tone. "I'm coming to visit soon, so you better make time for me Yuzu!"

"I'm sorry Matsuri. I kind of got into some trouble when I got here, so I've been busy...dealing with that," Yuzu said, getting quieter by the end of her sentence.

"Well, you'll have to tell me all about it once I see you," the younger one said excitingly.

As the two continued to speak, Yuzu finally made her way back home. "I've gotta go now Matsuri. I'll talk to you later."

"Aww, but we didn't get to talk that long," Matsuri whined. Yuzu could picture the girl on the other side pouting, as that's what she always did when she couldn't get her way with the blonde. The younger girl was very protective and clingy with her, but she didn't mind since they grew up together.

"Don't worry, I'll try to make time for us to hang out, okay?" Yuzu assured the girl.

"Fine, but you better not forget Onee-Chan!", Matsuri responded.

Yuzu chuckled and hung up the phone as she unlocked the door to the apartment.

"I'm home!" Yuzu shouted out. The lights were all off and the place was completely silent. "Hmm, I guess mama isn't home yet."

She walked over to the cabinet to make food for dinner. _'Ugh, I'm starving...' _Just as she thought that, she heard the front door open as footsteps followed.

"Yuzu, I wasn't sure if you'd be home or not already," Ume said in a tired voice.

Thinking back to what happened earlier, the blonde began to blush. "Uh, we got done studying early, so I decided to head home," she responded nervously.

The brunette smiled, "I'm proud of you kiddo! You should be lucky to have someone like Mei to help you out."

"Yeah...lucky," Yuzu mumbled.

"Oh, I almost forgot! The Chairman called me earlier. He wanted to set up a time to evaluate how everything is going, so I invited the two of them over for dinner tomorrow."

"What?! Do we really have to do that mama?" Yuzu groaned in annoyance.

Ume gave her daughter a saddened look and sighed, "If it weren't for them, you would be expelled right now, Yuzu."

Plopping down in the dining chair, Yuzu looked back at her mother with pleading eyes, "Why can't he just ask her himself?" she questioned.

Ume walked over to Yuzu and put her hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry Yuzu. It will only be dinner. Besides, I thought you girls were getting along?" the older woman assumed.

"I'm just tired of talking about school and studying. I haven't been able to hang out with my friends," the blonde said as she stood up.

Sighing, Ume brought her daughter in for a hug. She knew Yuzu was tired from the past few weeks, but also knew it was for the best. "Maybe if you kept your grades up and didn't get in trouble, you wouldn't be in this situation. For now, this is how it must be. Sorry bub."

"I know, I know mama. I've heard it a bunch." Yuzu released from the hug and headed back into the kitchen to get dinner finally. "I'm going to make something to eat for us."

Ume smiled, as Yuzu began getting ingredients out. After dinner, Ume decided to drink a few beers before passing out on the couch.

"Goodnight mama," Yuzu said as she kissed her mother on the cheek and headed to her bedroom.

With tomorrow being Friday, Yuzu was glad that the weekend would be arriving soon. She just had to get the awkward dinner over with, but she knew she'd be dreading it for the whole day. Falling asleep became difficult for the blonde. All she could think about was the events that happened earlier in the day. How was she going to face Mei with her now knowing the raven-haired girl was fully aware of whatever feelings Yuzu had? No matter how hard she tried to just keep her eyes shut and think of anything else, the violet-eyed beauty kept appearing in her mind. '_Ugh, this isn't good'_ she thought to herself.

Yuzu spent most of the night tossing and turning in bed, until eventually sleep took over her exhausted body. It wasn't long before she heard her phone alarm go off.

***beep beep beep beep**

Yuzu groaned as she rolled over to shut it off. "It's already morning? Ughhh, I'm still so tired."

Memories of the day before began flooding her mind once again. A reminder that she'd have to deal someone she'd prefer to keep a distance from. Since sleep did not come easy last night, all she wanted to do was stay in bed all day, but that just wasn't an option.

Getting out of bed, she headed to the kitchen to see her mother.

"Morning mama," Yuzu said as she groggily walked over to dining table to eat breakfast.

"Good morning Yuzu," Ume greeted the tired girl with a huge smile before realizing how Yuzu looked. "Are you feeling okay? You don't look very well," she then said with a frown.

"I just didn't get much sleep last night," Yuzu spoke while yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"I'll be okay though," she finished and gave Ume a smile in return.

"If you say so bub. Eat up and get ready for school."

The walk to school was as slow as ever. Yuzu wanted to get the day over with and was hoping to do so without seeing a certain black-haired girl. Of course, that wouldn't be the case, as the first pair of eyes she set on were in fact Mei's. The two made eye contact for what seemed like an eternity before Yuzu finally turned her head to look away.

Yuzu rolled her eyes and sighed, _'Of course I couldn't avoid her, she's here before anyone else' _

Heading to her locker, she eventually saw Harumin waiting for her.

"Hey Yuzu! It's about time you got here," Harumin said.

The taller girl noticed her best friend seemed a little down today. "What's wrong with my poor Yuzzuchi?" she asked while giving her a childish pouty face.

Leaning her head into Harumin's chest, the chestnut-hair girl patted her back softly. "I didn't get much sleep last night. On top of that, I have to have dinner with Mei AND the Chairman," Yuzu responded.

Pushing her back slowly, Harumin gave Yuzu a surprised look. "Why? Don't you see the prez enough as is?" she asked.

"Yeah, tell me abou- "

Before Yuzu could finish her sentence, she heard a familiar voice call out her name.

"Onee-Chan! I found you!"

Yuzu's eyes went wide at the sight in front of here. "Matsuri, what the hell are you doing here?" the blonde spoke in a hushed tone. "You're going to get me in trouble!"

"Aww, I wanted to see you silly!" the pink-haired girl responded. "It took me a while to find out which school you went to."

"Uhh, Yuzzuchi ... Who is this?" Harumin questioned as she looked Matsuri up and down.

"It's just a friend from my old town, who NEEDS to leave now," Yuzu stated firmly.

"Yes, she does. It is against school rules for you to be here without a pass. Leave, now," a monotone voice spoke from behind Yuzu and Harumin.

Yuzu perked up, "Damnit...," she mumbled.

Matsuri showed off her devilish grin. "Oh, who's this?"

"That would be the infamous student council president, kid," Harumin said.

Mei began walking closer to Matsuri, giving her the same look that she gave to Yuzu on her first day. Matsuri didn't budge nor didn't break eye contact with the black-haired girl.

"I can see why Okogi is friends with you. You're both delinquents," Mei said all without changing her expression.

"Who are you calling a delinquent? You bitch!" Matsuri's anger began to rise. Yuzu quickly cut in between the two and slightly pushed the middle schooler back.

"Matsuri, let's just go," Yuzu pleaded.

Huffing out a breath of air harshly, Matsuri turned around and began walking away. Yuzu followed behind quickly, but before making it out of the doors, she looked back at Mei. She still had an emotionless expression. Was she angry? Yuzu was never able to tell.

_"_Who does that girl think she is? Trying to act all intimidating and shit!" Matsuri yelled out loud as she kicked the air.

Sighing, Yuzu grabbed Matsuri's arm and pulled her over to the side. "I'm already in enough trouble right now. You can't just show up here," the blonde said while putting her hand over her own forehead.

"You were always getting into trouble with me before, what's so different now?" Matsuri asked.

"The difference is I'm one mistake from getting expelled and I really don't want to piss Mei off."

The pink-haired girl smirked, "So, her name's Mei, huh?"

"Just don't come here anymore, okay? We will have to meet somewhere else," Yuzu said.

"Fine, Fine. Come see me after school then!" the younger girl said while clinging onto Yuzu's arm.

"I have to have dinner with Mei and the Chairman today, so I can't today. Sorry Matsuri," Yuzu said in an apologetic tone.

Rolling her eyes, Matsuri let go of Yuzu's arm. "You never have time for me anymore Onee-Chan!" the girl whined.

Yuzu started to fill with guilt, realizing she hasn't contacted any of her friends in weeks. It's not that she hasn't wanted to, she's just been too busy.

"Okay ... you can come over to my place for a little bit. You have to be gone before they get there though, got it?" Yuzu was hoping she wouldn't regret this decision.

"Yay! I can't wait," Matsuri spoke cheerfully as she pumped her first up in the air. "See you later!"

Yuzu watched as her troublemaker of a friend left through the school gates. Shaking her head slowly, she sighed, "What am I going to do with her?"

Yuzu was able to get through the day, luckily only seeing Mei once or twice.

"Phew, today's classes lasted forever," Yuzu said to Harumin as the two walked out of the school.

"Tell me about it, Yuzzuchi. I thought it would never end! At least it's the weekend now," the taller girl cheered out with a wide smile.

Yuzu frowned, remembering what the rest of the day held for her. "Yay..." she spoke in a saddened tone.

Harumin placed her right hand on Yuzu's right shoulder and pulled her in, giving her body a slight tug. "Don't be so sad, you get to hang out with her," she said while pointing at Matsuri who was waiting by the gates for Yuzu.

"Hiya Onee-Chan!" Matsuri yelled out. Yuzu lowered her head in embarrassment as she noticed a few people around began staring at her.

"Why does she call you that?" Harumin asked.

"I've known her since we were little, so we pretty much grew up together...like sisters," Yuzu responded, still feeling slightly embarrassed.

Matsuri ran up to Yuzu and wrapped her arms around her body tightly. "We finally get to spend time together!" the younger girl said excitingly.

Harumin giggled, "Looks like you've got a lot on your hands Yuzu."

"Geez Matsuri, calm down!" Yuzu said while attempting to break free from the hug.

"We should go to the arcade before going home, kay?" Matsuri said while grinning and finally releasing the blonde.

"Sure, we can't be out too long though. I bet mama will be happy to see you again anyway," Yuzu responded as she was about to walk off.

"Are you coming too Harumin?" Yuzu asked.

"Sorry Yuzu, I promised my sister I'd be home right after school. Rain check?"

"Aww that's too bad. I was hoping I'd get to get to know Yuzu's new friends!" Matsuri pouted.

Harumin pulled Yuzu to the side, turning their backs to the pink-haired girl she whispered, "Try to stay out of trouble..."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about me Harumin," Yuzu whispered back.

Smiling, Harumin began walking the opposite direction while waving to the two. "Bye Yuzzuchi, see ya later!"

The other girls waved back while making their way to the arcade.

"So, what's with the whole pretending to be good act, Yuzu?" Matsuri questioned as she turned to the girl with her hands behind her back. "You said something about being _one mistake away from being expelled..._"

"About that..." Yuzu gave off a nervous smile. "On my first day, I got into some trouble with the Student Council President. Things didn't end well."

"That's that one girl, Mei...right?" Matsuri smirked. "What? Did you get caught doing something dirty?"

Yuzu's eyes widened, quickly shaking her head back in forth. "Why do you always assume things like that?" The blonde groaned, "It's just that I graffitied the school's doors and my punishment is to study and learn to act more responsible with the help from Mei."

"Hmph, that doesn't sound like much of a punishment to me. You don't seem too upset by it anyway." Matsuri concluded.

Yuzu sighed. _'It's not that I'm upset by it. I've gotten so used to being around Mei...and now tonight I'm supposed to have dinner with her. She thinks I'm some perv...maybe I am. I keep thinking about her'_

"Yuzu, hello?" Matsuri said while waving her hands in front of the blonde's face.

"Huh? Sorry Matsuri," Yuzu apologized.

"Stop acting so weird Yuzu. What's gotten into you?" the younger girl asked as she grabbed onto Yuzu's arm.

"I've just got a lot on my mind. Don't worry about me. Looks like we're here," Yuzu said as she pointed to the doors.

Yuzu was seemingly spacing out, as her friend was absolutely killing it while they played a zombie shooter game.

"Yuuuzuuu! You suck at this game," Matsuri playfully teased. "You've died every single time!" Tell me what keeps bothering you."

_'__Would she even understand? I keep acting like this, of course she'd eventually wonder what's going on.' _

Sighing, Yuzu figured she'd be better off telling Matsuri at this point. She kept bothering her about it after all.

"You see..." Yuzu paused for a moment, not sure how to put into words just exactly what she was thinking. Before she could explain, Yuzu's phone began to ring. It was her mother.

"Yuzu? Where are you?"

"Hi mama, sorry I'm not home yet. I met up with Matsuri," Yuzu said.

"Oh, tell her I said hello, will you Yuzu?" Ume said excitingly.

"Sure thing. Uh, I'll be home so- "

Suddenly cut off, Ume spoke once again, "You should bring Matsuri for dinner tonight as well! I'm sure our guests won't mind. How about it?" Ume asked.

"What? Are you sure that's a good idea mama?" Panic began to arise in Yuzu. There's no way she could go the whole dinner without Matsuri suspecting anything. It was always like the younger girl to call her out and embarrass her.

"It would be no problem at all hunny! I will see you two soon, okay? I've got to finish getting dinner ready!" the line dropped before Yuzu could respond.

Dropping her arms, Yuzu sighed in defeat. "Looks like mama invited you to have dinner with us."

Matsuri's eyes gleamed with joy as she grabbed onto Yuzu's hand and pulled her out of the arcade. "Yay! That means I get to spend more time with my Onee-Chan!"

Gulping loudly, Yuzu knew this also meant Matsuri would be around Mei and the chairman." Just try not to cause any trouble, got it Matsuri? I know you and Mei got off on the wrong foot, but I really can't have you doing anything bad around her grandfather!"

Matsuri tightened her grip around Yuzu's hand as she smiled, "What are you talking about? Everything will be fine!"

The older girl was especially regretting her decision to hang out with her troubled friend. This was not going to end well...

The two girls walked into the apartment; the smell of Ume's amazing cooking flooded their noses.

"It smells great mama!" Yuzu told her mother as she headed to her bedroom with Matsuri. "I gotta change, we will be back in a second."

"Thanks Yuzu! You two don't be too long. Our guests will be here soon. Oh, and it's good to see you Matsuri-Chan!" Ume shouted out while she continued cooking.

"Good to see you too!" Matsuri yelled back as Yuzu pulled her out of the room.

"Hey, c'mon Yuzu, be careful!" the pink-haired girl pulled her arm free.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid when Mei gets here?" giving Matsuri a pleading look as she clasped her hands together.

"You act like I'm going to ruin the whole night. I get trying to impress the chairman, but why do you care so much about what that girl thinks? She doesn't seem very nice from what I've seen." Matsuri rambled on, "And besides, it's just dinner." The younger girl noticed Yuzu had a sad look in her eyes. "Fine. I'll _try _to be nice."

"Thank you Matsuri!" Yuzu leaped forward and hugged the shorter girl.

Shortly after changing her clothes, Yuzu heard a knock on her door.

"Yuzu, Mei and the Chairman are here. Come out for dinner you two." Ume said on the other side of the door.

_'__Okay Yuzu… you just need to remain calm. Act like nothing happened or try to avoid looking at her. Matsuri's right, it is only dinner',_ the blonde put her hand over her chest, before reaching for the doorknob.

"Come on Yuzu, I'm starving!" Matsuri suddenly shouted out as she rushed in front of Yuzu and pulled the older girl out of the room.

"Wha-woah, slow down Matsuri."

Matsuri went ahead forward, releasing her friends' hand. Yuzu slowly walked behind her.

"Thank you for inviting us to dinner on such short notice Ms. Okogi," a deep voice was heard as Yuzu came into see the two guests who had just arrived.

"Oh, don't worry about it. We are happy to have you," Ume gave off a smile as she waved kindly, inviting the two to the dinner table.

Yuzu had her head down, but she knew she'd have to look up eventually. Once she did, Mei's eyes were staring into hers.

_'__So much for avoiding looking at her,' _Yuzu whined and looked down again while blushing.

Matsuri seemed to catch on quickly and grinned, glancing between Yuzu and Mei. Walking closer to Yuzu, Matsuri whispered into the older girl's ear. "_Why is your face so red hmm? Do you have the hots for your tutor?' _Matsuri chuckled, "_I didn't know my Onee-Chan was into girls."_

Yuzu looked up abruptly, her face blushing deeper as she knew Matsuri was in fact right for once. In any case, denying it now, the pink-haired girl would know she's lying.

"_Stop it, Matsuri. It's not what you thi- "_

_"_Yuzu, could you grab an extra chair for the chairman, please?" Ume asked.

"S-Sure thing mama!", Yuzu responded quickly.

Ume sat next to Mei, Matsuri next to Yuzu who was across from Mei, and the Chairman sat at the end of the table.

The five sat in silence for a moment, before the Chairman finally spoke up. "I've been hearing good things so far. It seems your daughter has been studying successfully with Mei."

"Yuzu actually studying is kind of funny," Matsuri blurted out. Yuzu elbowed her side and glared at her.

The older man cleared his throat, as he straightened his glasses. "The exams will be here shortly. I take it you've been preparing her, correct?" he asked Mei, who only nodded in return.

"Very well then. Everything is going accordingly. Good job, Mei."

Yuzu kept quiet, playing with her food. She wished the dinner would just be over with. Looking up from her plate, she saw Mei had barely touched her own food.

_'__Is she okay? She looks sad', _the blonde wondered.

A phone began ringing and the chairman apologized as he got up and walked away to answer it.

Instead of waiting in silence, Ume decided to speak. "Matsuri, how have your studies been going?"

Ume wasn't aware of the youngest girl being such a bad influence. She always thought highly of her and was happy that Yuzu had a friend to hang out with when the two were younger since she always had to be gone for work.

"They're going great," Matsuri responded with a smile that didn't convince Yuzu at all.

As the two continued their own conversation, Yuzu noticed Mei had no interest in what was going on.

'_Maybe she feels just as awkward as I do?' _Yuzu wished she knew what was going inside Mei's mind. '_She is the one who caused it to be awkward though...'_

Coming back over to the dinner table, the chairman apologized for the interruption. "I had to take a business call. It seems they need me there for final touches on paperwork."

"Aw, that's too bad," Ume said with a frown. "I was hoping the girls would get to spend some more time with each other."

Mei and Yuzu both looked over to Ume.

"If Mei has no issue with it, she may stay," the chairman suggested. This caught Mei off guard, but she knew better than to be impolite towards her Grandfather.

"Huh?" Yuzu said seemingly just as caught off guard.

"Wouldn't that be great girls? You can have a sleep over again!" Ume seemed ecstatic.

Matsuri was giggling to herself, knowing Yuzu must be freaking out.

The blonde was too shocked to speak. Why the hell was this happening? It was only supposed to be dinner, and now Yuzu would have to suffer through another night sleeping in the same room with the girl.

"With the change of events, it would make it quicker for me to go where I need to," he finally said.

Mei sighed quietly before nodding her head, "Okay, if this makes it easier for you, Grandfather."

"I'll have someone pick you up tomorrow morning. Thank you for dinner Ms. Okogi," the chairman said as Ume walked him to the door.

"It was no problem. Drive safely!" the brunette waved him off.

"Will you be staying over too Matsuri-Chan?" The older woman asked.

Yuzu pushed her chair back abruptly, "I'm sure she has other things to do mama!"

Matsuri smirked, being aware that Yuzu wanted alone time with her girl crush.

"I'd love to, but my parents wouldn't be happy with me staying on such short notice," Matsuri responded.

Ume gave a disappointed look to the girl, "Maybe next time then."

Feeling relieved, Yuzu let out a breath. _'God knows she'd make the night even more awkward anyway.'_

"I'm sure Yuzu-Chan wants to be alone with Aihara-San," Matsuri unexpectedly said giving a daring look over to the raven-haired girl.

Matsuri saw Mei's eyes widen, then quickly changed her expression to be unreadable.

Yuzu took a hold of Matsuri and began pushing her to the door. "Okay, that's enough from you!"

"Aww, but I was starting to have fun," the younger girl huffed. "_Why don't we have a threesome?" _Matsuri said quietly while arching her eyebrow.

Yuzu's face screamed with embarrassment._ "Stop that Matsuri! You said you wouldn't cause trouble."_ Yuzu scolded her friend, but she knew this was going to happen.

"You're no fun! Fine, I'll go home. I'm sure my parents are wondering where I am anyway," Matsuri responded.

From behind, Mei was watching as Matsuri and Yuzu kept bickering to each other.

"Have fun you two," Matsuri said while winking at Yuzu.

"Grr, that girl...I swear," Yuzu mumbled to herself.

The blonde turned around; Mei was staring directly at her with her typical stoic eyes. Blushing, she put her head down while walking towards the dining table to pick up the dishes.

Ume had gone to take a shower, leaving the two girls alone. Silence remained, as Yuzu washed the dishes.

'_Geez, if I don't say anything, things will continue to be weird between us,' _Yuzu thought.

"I guess since you're staying here, we should get along," the green-eyed girl spoke up finally.

"I wasn't aware we were fighting," Mei replied coolly.

Finishing up the dishes, Yuzu walked over to Mei and put her hands on her hips. "We should talk about yesterday," Yuzu spoke in a nervous tone, "You know...about the whole thing you found in my notebook."

Mei looked up to Yuzu, "There isn't anything I have to discuss with you."

Yuzu scoffed at this response. "Why were you even looking through my things anyway? Ever heard of a little privacy because I thought the Student Council President would know that more than anyone? Just because you were forced to tutor me doesn't mean you have the right to touch my things!"

Mei continued to stare at the blonde, giving no indication to what she was about to do next.

Yuzu grunted, "Aren't you going to say something?"

Mei stood up abruptly, the chair screeched across the hardwood floor, the sound echoing throughout the apartment. Leaning in slowly, the younger girl grabbed Yuzu's shoulders pulling her towards her. As her right hand skillfully moved from Yuzu's shoulder to her face she continued to lean in until their lips crashed together.

**_Umph! _**

_'__Holy shit, what is happening? Oh my god, oh my god!'_

Yuzu's eyes widened, on the inside she was screaming, but her body refused to back away. Their tongues collided as Mei deepened the kiss and the blonde girl slowly shut her eyes. She began to blush hard. Yuzu was taking in every sweet taste, every lingering scent that surrounded them, every breath she could barely grasp a hold of as the stunning girl in front of her was taking her breath away.

_'__Her lips are so soft...' _her mind suddenly became flooded with so many emotions. '_She smells just as amazing as ever, especially being this close to her'_

After what seemed like a lifetime, Mei finally pulled back. Yuzu was breathing heavily, trying her best to catch her breath. The black-haired girl still seemed as calm as ever.

"Wha-what did you do that for?!" Yuzu finally was able to shout out.

"You wouldn't stop talking, I figured that would shut you up," Mei responded back, not breaking eye contact.

Yuzu's mouth went agape, "What the hell! That doesn't mean you had to k-kiss me."

Hearing footsteps, the two were interrupted by Ume who walked in, not knowing what had just happened moments before.

"I'm surprised you two are still in here," the brunette said while smiling. She walked to the fridge to grab a beer. "Are you feeling okay Yuzu? You look a little red."

"Uh, I'm fine mama. It's just a little hot in here..."

'_Not that Mei totally just made a move on me and now I can't fucking think straight!'_

"Are you sure? Maybe you should go take a bath to cool down hunny," Ume said in a concerned voice.

_'__Yeah, I'll just go take a cold shower since I got all hot and bothered by another girl'_

Still feeling overwhelmed, Yuzu agreed anyway. "I guess that might help," she said while looking over to Mei who had a slight smirk on her face.

"Aihara-san could join you too!" the older woman suggested.

_'__Ah god dammit, give me a break here! If I say no, that would just be weird...'_

Yuzu sighed in defeat as she walked out of the dining room, Mei following behind.

The two entered the bedroom, Mei was back to being silent as ever. Yuzu walked over to the bed and sat down.

"I don't understand you. What kind of person kisses another one just to shut them up? You're totally unfair!" Yuzu complained.

"Isn't that what you wanted though?" Mei asked, not showing any actual concern for her actions.

Getting up, Yuzu marched over to the younger girl. "What are you talking about? How would you know what I want?"

The purple-eyed girl sighed, "Perhaps I do not know exactly what you want. Yet, with you staring at me all the time, acting weird, and then for me to find my name written in your notebook, I could've only guessed."

"You sure know how to make things awkward...," Yuzu spoke under her breath.

_'__Maybe she's right though. Maybe this is what I wanted. When she kissed me, it felt like my whole heart was about to explode inside my chest_.'

The shorter girl was suddenly taken out of her thoughts by the other girl in front of her who spoke once again. "Don't think too much into it. It didn't mean anything."

Inside, Yuzu felt her heart breaking slowly.

_'__Can she hear it crumbling?', _Yuzu wondered as she put her head down. Fearing tears would soon make an appearance, Yuzu turned to her closet to grab clothes.

"Don't worry about that. It didn't mean anything to me either," Yuzu responded in a monotone voice. She knew she was lying, but what was she supposed to do? Confess that the moment their lips touched; she knew she'd never feel the same?

"Would you mind if I took a bath alone?" Yuzu asked, not caring what the other girl said as she walked out before getting an answer.

Before closing the door, she'd heard Mei quietly sigh.

_'__Stupid Mei, stupid feelings, stupid...' _

"Ugh, she's so stupid!" Yuzu furiously said as she splashed her hands against the warm bath water. Tears began falling from her eyes, the aching feeling in her chest returned.

"_Don't think too much into it..."_

_"__It didn't mean anything..."_

The crying girl brushed her fingertips slowly across her lips. The feeling continued to linger within her body. The way she felt when Mei kissed her... how she wished to taste her lips again, the unbearable feeling that welled up inside her, it was taking over her entire being. She craved to have the beautiful girls' lips against hers once more. Yet, she'd have to act like it didn't mean anything because it had meant _nothing _to Mei.

'_Is this what it's like to be in love...?'_


	5. Chapter 5

**It took me a while to write this chapter because I wasn't sure I was happy with it, but here it is! :D**

Mei had fallen asleep before Yuzu got back to the bedroom. '_How can she sleep so easily after what just happened?'_ the blonde thought to herself.

Yuzu walked to the opposite side of where Mei slept and sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed. She could hear soft breathing coming from the other girl.

Sighing, Yuzu placed her head into the palms of her hands. _'I wish I could be as calm as her. Nothing seems to phase her. Was I the only one who felt something when we kissed?' _

Thoughts kept replaying in her mind, until she became too exhausted to think anymore. Before she knew it, morning had arrived. She'd fallen asleep on the floor but had been covered up with a blanket.

"Huh? I don't remember having a blanket," Yuzu said as she stretched. "My back is killing me. I can't believe I fell asleep here."

Getting up, she noticed the bed was empty and Mei was nowhere to be seen. _'That's no surprise. She got up early last time too.'_

Yuzu walked out to the dining area, seeing her mother passed out on the couch with beer cans scattered onto the coffee table. She shook her head, as she headed over to the kitchen to make breakfast.

_'__I guess Mei already left. Even after last night's incident and the awkwardness...I was hoping to see her,' _she thought to herself, feeling the pain return to her chest.

Looking at the clock it was nearly noon. "At least I get a break from studying today," the girl said out loud.

Being startled by noise, Ume's head popped up from over the couch. "Morning sweetie..." the woman spoke through a tired voice.

"Mama it's almost noon," Yuzu responded with a small chuckle.

Ume groggily walked into the kitchen to make some tea. "Oh, Did Mei leave already then?" she asked.

"Probably hours ago, I wasn't awake when she left," the younger girl stated while rubbing lower back.

"Are you okay Yuzu?" Ume gave her daughter a worried look.

Yuzu grunted as she continued to try and relieve the pain. "Yeah, I accidentally fell asleep on the floor last night."

Suddenly, a dinging sound was heard coming from Yuzu's bedroom. "Be right back mama!" She said as she dashed to her room.

Yuzu saw half a dozen notifications, all texts from Matsuri.

**Matsuri: **_yuuuzuuu :3 _

**Matsuri:**_hello? R u awake?_

**Matsuri:**_lets hang out_

**Matsuri:**_Im almost 2 ur house_

**Matsuri:**_so u better b ready_

**Matsuri: **_-_-_

**Yuzu: **_sry, I just woke up so give me a sec _

Once again, her phone dinged, this time it was a message from Harumi.

**Harumin: **_Yo Yuzzuchi! Let's go shopping. I'm so bored :(((_

Yuzu sighed, realizing today was going to be hectic. She wanted to see both, but she was sure the other two girls weren't going to get along. Especially with Matsuri's immature attitude. Despite this, she quickly responded to Harumi's text.

**Yuzu: **_Is it cool if Matsuri tags along?_

A few moments pass by and a response from Harumi popped up.

**Harumin:**_idc, I'll be at ur place soon_

**Yuzu: **_kk see ya in a bit!_

Ten minutes passed by as Yuzu was deciding what to wear for the day before a knock was heard at the front door.

"That must be Matsuri," Yuzu said to herself as she began getting dressed into a white and blue stripped crop top, black skinny jeans, and a black leather jacket.

"Mama, can you answer that!" the blonde yelled out her bedroom door.

After tying her hair up into a side ponytail, she headed out into the living room to see that Matsuri and Harumi were both there.

"Hey, didn't expect you guys to be here so soon!" Yuzu said.

"I told you I was almost here Onee-Chan, but you didn't tell me _she _would be here too," Matsuri squinted her eyes playfully as she pointed towards Harumi.

The taller girl flicked Matsuri's forehead while rolling her eyes. "I barely know you; you don't have to be so rude!"

Matsuri pouted, then stuck her tongue out at Harumi. "It's just a joke, geez..."

"C'mon you two, you're gonna have to get along," Yuzu said as she shook her head and smiled. "It's already past noon, so let's get going."

The three girls headed off to the mall. It wasn't entirely Matsuri's scene to be out shopping for clothes, but she had nothing better to do.

"Yuzu-Chan, can we do something fun after this?" the pink-hair girl whined.

"Matsuri, we've only been here for five minutes..." Yuzu chuckled at her younger friend. She could be a handful most times, but the blonde girl wouldn't have it any other way. The middle schooler pouted, then glanced over to a different rack of clothing.

As Yuzu was looking through clothing racks, Harumi looked over to Matsuri who was sneakily putting a shirt into her bag.

"_Uh, Yuzzuchi..._" Harumi whispered.

Yuzu looked over to Harumi, confused on why she was whispering. "What?" The blonde questioned in a louder voice.

The taller girl rolled her eyes and put a finger up to her mouth, hushing the blonde. She then inconspicuously pointed towards the mischievous girl behind her.

Yuzu darted her eyes over to Matsuri and gasped quietly. "Jesus Christ, I can't take her anywhere," she said while putting her hand over her face and shaking her head.

Looking around to make sure nobody was in hearings distance of the three, Yuzu walked towards the thieving girl. "_What are you doing? Put that back Matsuri_," the blonde whispered in an angry tone.

Matsuri chuckled slightly, not seeming worried at all. "Nobody can see me, it's fine."

Yuzu furrowed her eyebrows at her friend's stupidity. "_Keep your voice down dammit. Also, that isn't the point_," she continued to whisper.

"Look, I do this all the time," Matsuri spoke as she then stuffed another shirt into her bag.

Suddenly, a tall man with an intimidating look began walking towards the girls. Yuzu began to panic, and Matsuri's demeanor changed from childish to serious. Harumi was tugging at Yuzu's arm.

"What are you girls doing?! I saw you put that shirt in your bag. I'm calling security!" He harshly spoke, raising his voice only slightly so costumers around wouldn't be bothered.

"Uh oh, what do we do?" Harumi said in a worried tone.

"Run, run, run!" Matsuri shouted.

"Are you crazy?!" Yuzu shouted back.

"Let's just go Yuzu, hurry!" Harumi was actually agreeing with the troublemaker.

Matsuri took a hold of Yuzu's hand and the three stumbled through mannequins and racks, while accidentally knocking clothes off of them. Tripping over the wheel of one of the racks, Yuzu fell to the ground. Harumi and Matsuri's eyes widened as the man was closely catching up behind them.

"Go on without me!" the fallen girl said while sticking her hand out in front of her.

"Oh, for fucks sake Yuzu, just get up!" Matsuri rolled her eyes while yanking Yuzu's arm forward to pick her up.

Finally, they made their way out of the store and continued trying to run breathlessly out of the entire mall but didn't make it out before bumping into someone they wish they hadn't.

"Watch where you're going!" The high-pitched voice spoke out.

"Sorry Himeko!" Harumi apologized while bowing quickly. Suddenly her eyes went wide. "Wait Himeko? What are you doing here by yourself?" The hazel-eyed girl asked.

Himeko furrowed her brows, before speaking. "I'm allowed to shop for one and two, I'm not here alone. I'm here with- "

"Why were you all running?" A certain raven-haired girl interrupted.

The blonde began to blush noticeably. "Uhh, you see..."

"There they are!" A deep voice from afar shouted.

"Yuzu, we have to get out of here," Harumi said.

"What did you guys do?!" Himeko asked in a confused and angry tone.

Mei's eyebrow arched, realizing the three had caused trouble.

"I think they're with those other two as well!" He shouted once again.

Himeko's mouth went agape, "Wait, wait. We don't even know them!"

"I suggest you guys run too, before we all get in trouble," Matsuri said with a grin.

Mei sighed, as the five began to run out of the mall and towards an alley, completely out of sight. They were all desperately gasping for air, as they couldn't stop running for a good three to five minutes.

"I... think...I think we...need to work out...more," the pink-haired girl attempted to say in between breaths.

The four girls glared at Matsuri before telling her to shut up in unison.

"I'm wearing my expensive self-designed outfit today. This isn't made for running! Now tell me what you guys did!" Himeko was fuming with anger, while Mei stayed silent beside her.

_'__She's even calm in a situation like this. I don't understand this girl,' _Yuzu thought to herself while slowly catching her breath still.

Harumi used her elbow to lean on Matsuri's shoulder. "This little troublemaker was stuffing clothes into her bag and got caught, so we had to run."

The shorter girl huffed and crossed her arms, "If you two hadn't come up to me, no one would've suspected anything."

"Are you serious?" Himeko put her hands on her hips while she gave a death stare towards Matsuri.

"Okogi-San, why would you want to be around this _thing_?" the Vice President asked.

Yuzu put her hands up in defense, "Hey, it's not like I can control what she does! All I know is I didn't want to get in trouble."

"Maybe you should stay away from bad influences then," Mei finally spoke.

Yuzu's eyes narrowed as she walked closer to Mei, "She just gets into trouble sometimes, okay? She does stupid things, but at least we didn't get caught."

"Yeah!" Matsuri added in.

Harumi shook her head at the middle schooler but was relieved that they managed to get away. She'd be dead if her sister found out about this.

"Can we just keep this between us?" Harumi asked. "I really can't be getting into trouble."

Mei rolled her eyes, "Consider this you're only free pass, Taniguchi-San," she spoke firmly. Harumi gave Mei a huge smile and nodded in return.

"Thanks, so much prez! I guess we can't really go back to the mall, so do you guys want to get some crepes?" Harumi asked.

Yuzu could slightly see a glimmer in Mei's eyes once the word 'crepe' was spoken.

"Why would we want to hang out with you delinquents?" Himeko huffed.

"I want a crepe," Mei silently said.

Himeko grunted, "Fine! But only because Mei-Mei wants to!"

The five began heading to a sweet shop nearby. Surprisingly, Matsuri and Harumi were having an actual conversation while Yuzu and the other two girls remained quiet. It wasn't awkward, except for the fact that Yuzu and Mei were walking side by side and Yuzu couldn't help but blush as she stole a few glances at the black-haired girl.

_'__Despite what happened, it's nice being close to her. I wonder what she's thinking right now.' _

As Yuzu stole another glance, it seems Mei was doing the same thing. Once the blonde noticed that, she perked up and looked forward again quickly.

Her cheeks began to redden from being caught. The two girls' hands were seemingly centimeters apart. Yuzu's hand brushed against Mei's by accident, but this didn't seem to bother the younger girl at all.

_'__Shit,' _Yuzu thought to herself. She could feel her heartbeat rapidly speeding up. '_I have to stay calm.' _

Yuzu shut her eyes for a moment and let out a quiet breath to slow her heartbeat.

"Did you hear me Yuzucchi?" Harumi spoke up. Yuzu hadn't been paying attention to any of the conversation going on around her. The blonde grinned as she placed her hand on the back of her neck.

"Eh, sorry Harumin I wasn't paying attention, what did you say?"

Harumi gave her friend a teasingly annoyed look, "Of course you weren't. It wasn't anything important anyway."

The five eventually made it to the shop and each bought a crepe.

"Taniguchi-San let me try yours. It looks tastier!" Matsuri whined.

"Get your own, kid!" The chestnut-haired girl spat back. "Ask Yuzzuchi instead, she has the same thing anyway."

Himeko looked at the three disgusted. "That's basically an indirect kiss!"

_'__An indirect kiss?' _Yuzu thought as she looked over to Mei.

"Geez, if I wanted to kiss Yuzu, I'd just do it," Matsuri said loudly as she got up from her seat. Without a warning she grabbed Yuzu's face and firmly planted a kiss right on her lips. People around began to stare and whisper to each other.

"See?" the middle schooler continued, "It's not that big a deal!"

Matsuri then took a quick side glance over to Mei and smirked. It looked as if Mei, for only a moment showed a much different facial expression, rather than her typical lifeless stare.

Yuzu was filled with disbelief as to what just happened, her face turning a dark shade of red. "What the hell Matsuri? You could've at least warned me!" Yuzu then quickly turned to look at Mei once again. '_It didn't feel anything like the kiss with Mei...' _she thought.

Harumi was laughing in the background and Himeko continued to freak out. "You guys are so weird!" she shouted out.

After calming down, the five continued to chat for a while before deciding to head back to their own homes.

Matsuri, Harumi, and Himeko were headed in the opposite direction as Yuzu and Mei, so they decided to walk together. That left Mei and Yuzu to walk to their homes together.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay walking home with _her?" _The Vice President asked aggressively.

"It won't be a problem, Himeko," Mei responded back calmly.

"Okay, if you say so! Bye Mei-Mei. I'll see you on Monday," Himeko said while waving at her best friend.

Matsuri leaned close to Yuzu and began to whisper, _"Let me know how the sex is Yuzu-Chan," _she said while smirking.

The blondes face turned from smiling to shock in a matter of seconds, _"shut up Matsuri..." _Yuzu responded as she shoved the childish girl away and shook her head.

The thought of doing something like that with Mei sent tingles up Yuzu's spine.

The sun was setting as Mei and Yuzu walked home, leaving a orange and red tint upon their faces. _'She looks so beautiful...' _Yuzu took a moment to take in the other girls features. '_Her skin is so perfect, her body is thin, yet fit, and her eyes...'_

"Okogi," Mei said.

"Huh?! What is it?" Yuzu asked startled.

Mei sighed, "Do you like Mizusawa-San?"

The older girl was surprised that Mei had asked such a question out of nowhere or why she even cared. The thought of her being with Matsuri made her laugh on the inside, considering she saw her as a sister more than anything.

"What? Of course not! I've known her for so long and we grew up together, but I've never had any feelings for her," the blonde answered as she nervously looked over at Mei.

"I didn't feel anything when she kissed me..."

Mei stayed silent for a moment before responding with just, "I see."

Yuzu scratched the back of her head, slightly disappointed in Mei's short response. "Why'd you ask me that?"

The black-haired girl continued walking instead of saying anything else. The silence remained, until they made their way to her grandfather's mansion.

"Stay out of trouble, Okogi." Mei warned the other girl.

Yuzu frowned and before Mei could walk away the blonde grabbed onto her hand.

"Why don't you call me by my first name? We see each other all the time, wouldn't it make it easier?"

The younger girls' eyes widened as she looked down at the hand grasping her own. Yuzu wondered if this contact between the two was inappropriate considering what had happened between them, but she didn't care to let go.

Mei lightly freed her hand, "We aren't on a first name basis because I am only your tutor and I am here to guide you, not be your friend, or _anything more_"

_'__Of course, she'd say something like that,' _Yuzu thought to herself as she gave a disappointed nod and began to walk away and head in the direction of her home but stopped abruptly.

"Aihara-San?" Yuzu so faintly said as her emerald eyes looked into Mei's violets.

"Hmm, wha- "Mei was suddenly cut off.

Yuzu rushed forward, pushing Mei against the brick wall of the mansions entrance. The ravened-haired girls' arms were held on both sides of her head. Unable to stop herself, Yuzu's lips latched onto Mei's. The younger girl seemed resistant at first, trying to break her arms free from Yuzu's grip, but soon the blonde found Mei was leaning into the kiss. Releasing the restrained girls' arms, Yuzu was surprised to see Mei quickly grab her face, deepening the contact between the two.

Both desperately in need of air, pulled back for only a moment before leaning in to connect their lips once more. Tongues collided, slight whimpers and moans began escaping. There was no going back now.

Pulling back once more, Yuzu's eyes begin to fill with tears. "You never show any emotion and it makes me wonder why," she said while placing her forehead against Mei's.

"But when we kiss, for a moment it feels like you show something."

Mei's eyes widened, seemingly in disbelief to what the girl in front of her was saying.

"I'm not sure what it means, these feelings. I don't know why I have these desires or why I can't get you out of my head," Yuzu continued as tears damped her rosy cheeks. "You kissed me back. You can't say it doesn't mean anything..."

"I-I don't know what came over me," Mei said out of character. Yuzu only saw her to be in control of things, but right now she wasn't. "I'm meant to take over the academy someday, getting involved in these matters is inappropriate, especially with another girl."

"What are you afraid of?" Yuzu quickly asked.

Mei shook her head while backing away from the blonde. "I'm not afraid. I have responsibilities. So, consider that our final kiss," she finished with as she walked into the gates of her grandfather's mansion.

Yuzu wanted to say something, anything, but words refused to escape from her mouth. What was she supposed to say? The love-struck girl leaned her back against the brick wall, putting her face into the palms of her hands, attempting to hold back anymore tears.

_'__I should just forget about her and this whole thing. She's right anyway, she's supposed to only be my tutor,' _the blonde thought as she pushed herself off the wall and began walking home.


	6. Chapter 6

Exams were a week away and since the confrontation with Mei at her grandfathers, their meetings were less and less. Besides the occasional passing in halls and during class, the two only saw each other once a week. During the tutoring sessions, it consisted of talking to each other only if needed.

After school, Yuzu met up with Harumi at the school gates. The blonde huffed as she walked towards her best friend.

"It feels like Mei has been avoiding me. I only have a week to learn everything I need to know!" Yuzu said in a worried tone.

Harumi frowned, bringing Yuzu in as she patted her head. "My poor Yuzzuchi! Why didn't you just ask for my help?"

"I don't know if mama would believe we'd be studying," Yuzu said as she shrugged her shoulders. "She doesn't even know that Mei and I haven't been studying together as much."

Harumi looked Yuzu with a questioning stare, "Well, what happened with you guys?"

The green-eyed girl became nervous, unsure of how to explain to her best friend her and Mei's strange encounters. '_What if she thinks I'm weird or over-reacting,'_

"Nothing happened," the girl lied. Since Mei wanted to kiss her and then forget about the whole situation, Yuzu decided it was best to leave it be. "I guess she has just been busy with student council work," Yuzu said.

Harumi looked at the blonde, not entirely believing what her best friend was saying, but figured if she wanted to tell her she would.

"That makes sense. The prez has a lot to deal with," Harumi responded.

The two headed off to class together soon after the conversation so they wouldn't be late. Yuzu decided to actually pay attention during their lectures today since she needed to be ready for exams.

After class Harumi looked back at Yuzu. "Wow, you took notes? That's a new one," the chestnut-haired girl stifled a laugh.

The blonde cracked her knuckles, "I haven't written that much in...ever. I think my hand is all cramped up."

"You know, I can still help you Yuzzuchi," Harumi said while giving her a thumbs up.

"That won't be necessary," a voice suddenly interrupted.

Glancing to their side, they saw Mei standing next to them. "Oh, hey prez..." Harumi said while slyly rolling her eyes. Mei noticed the slight attitude in the girls voice, but kept a straight face.

Mei made eye contact with the blonde, "If you needed help, you could've discussed this with me," the raven-haired girl spoke.

"It's just exams are coming up really soon, so I don't know if I'm ready. I didn't want to bother you though," Yuzu responded.

Mei slowly put a black strand of hair behind her ear while looking down to the ground for a moment. "I've been...busy, but it is still my duty to help you succeed. We can meet after school."

Both girls were fully aware of the reason they didn't meet as much. Being in the same room together, there was always tension. At least that's how it felt to the older girl. After the kiss happened, it wasn't brought up again, but the thoughts still lingered.

It seems the end of the school day came much more quickly than Yuzu anticipated. They've met a couple times since their encounter, but each time had Yuzu feeling more and more nervous.

"Ugh, I'm so tired," Harumi groaned while the two were walking to the school gates to meet Mei.

Yuzu nodded back to her friend in agreement, but on the inside her heart was racing seeing Mei at the gates.

"I guess this is where we part!" Harumi smiled at Yuzu and waved goodbye to the two.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Yuzu decided to speak up. "So, where are we studying today?"

"My grandfather is having a business meeting in his home, so I was hoping we could study at yours," Mei said.

Yuzu put her hands in her pocket as she leaned back on her heels a bit. "My mama is going to be at work late anyway, so that should be fine."

Mei nodded and the two started walking towards Yuzu's apartment. As always, it was silent on the way there. Once they made their way up the elevator and to the apartment, Yuzu pulled out her keys, but accidentally dropped them.

"Whoops," Yuzu said as she bent down trying to pick them up, but Mei bent down as well causing them to bump heads. "Ouch, sorry," the green eyed girl apologize while rubbing her head.

Mei winced in pain slightly, "It's fine, just be more careful Yu-" Mei cleared her throat and quickly corrected herself, "Okogi."

Yuzu's heart suddenly felt like it stopped. '_Was she about to say my name?!' _Rather than saying anything about it, the blonde played it off while she finally unlocked the door and walked in.

"We can study at the dining table," Yuzu said as she switched into her slippers. Mei nodded her head as she walked over to the table and started pulling books out of her bag. Yuzu noticed she seemed a little different today. Although, that would be hard to tell since she rarely shows a different side to her.

Yuzu sat across from Mei, quickly diverting her attention to a book in front of her that she had pulled out. '_It's so hard to concentrate. I wish things would stop being weird between us_,' the blonde thought to herself.

Mei didn't speak once they began studying. Yuzu felt too nervous to even ask for help. The older girl was struggling with a question, and the raven-haired girl seemed to catch on a few moments later as she finally spoke up.

"You know the whole point of me being here is so you can get help," Mei said.

Yuzu slightly blushed as she looked into Mei's eyes. "Y-yeah, I know. It's just-" Yuzu paused for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. She wasn't sure if this was the best time to talk about this, but she couldn't handle the tension from the past couple weeks anymore. "Things have been weird the past couple weeks. You've been avoiding me and I know you're only helping because you're supposed to, but it makes it hard to concentrate." Yuzu looked down to her lap as she fiddled with the pencil in her hand. She didn't look up, but she could tell Mei was still looking directly at her. "Never mind, it's stu-" suddenly Yuzu was cut off.

"What do you suppose we do about that then?" Mei asked in a calm voice.

Her voice alone, sounding so serene sent chills down Yuzu's spine. Without looking up Yuzu spoke again, "I- I don't really know." Before Mei could respond, Yuzu's phone began to ring. She quickly answered it while giving Mei an apologetic gesture.

"Hi Matsuri," Yuzu said quietly.

"Onee-Chan, are you busy? I need something to do!" Matsuri asked.

"Uhh, I'm kind of studying right now with Aihara-San, so I can't. Sorry," Yuzu apologized. She took a quick glance up to Mei and noticed a sigh escaped her lips.

There was a pause for a moment before Matsuri spoke again. Somehow Yuzu could tell the younger girl was smirking on the other end just by the way she spoke afterwards. "Is my Yuzu-Chan going to finally lose her virginity today?" A slight giggle could be heard on the other end. There was no way Mei didn't hear what she said, as from across the table the blonde saw a pink tint across the raven-haired girls cheeks.

Leaning over so Mei couldn't hear, Yuzu whispered, "_I've told you to shut up about that Matsuri. There's nothing going on. I've got to go_." Suddenly hanging up the phone, Yuzu turned back around and saw Mei had one eyebrow arched.

Scratching the back of her head Yuzu gave a nervous grin to Mei, "Sorry if you heard any of that. She can say some really strange things sometimes..."

"I've noticed. She seems very interested in your...personal matters," the violet-eyed girl responded as she looked down to the book in front of her.

"Well, it's not like there's anything to tell her," Yuzu spoke.

"Is there not?" Mei asked while giving Yuzu a questioning look. A blush crept up on Yuzu's face.

"I haven't said anything to her about...that," blonde spoke shyly.

"Even if you did, it wouldn't matter." Mei responded. Yuzu's eyes widened, but she knew the younger girl was right; it wouldn't matter, nothing _is _going on between them after all.

"I know," Yuzu said quietly with a slight frown. She didn't mean to wear her heart on her sleeve, but hiding how she was feeling was difficult around Mei.

Mei quietly sighed while she leaned back into her chair, changing the subject quickly. "You aren't learning this material fast enough in preparation for the exams," the black-haired girl spoke.

Yuzu leaned her elbow onto the table and placed her chin in the palm of her hand. "Trust me, I tried really hard today to take notes."

"This is something you should've been doing from the beginning," Mei responded firmly.

"Yeah, yeah...I messed up okay?" Yuzu said as she furrowed her eyebrows. "I just wish studying was more fun."

Sighing once again, Mei looked like she was getting irritated. "It isn't meant to be fun. It's supposed to be difficult to prepare you for bigger things."

Yuzu rolled her eyes at that statement. Sure, Mei was right about that, but she didn't really care for school. Mei noticed the frustration on the blondes face and seemingly looked deep in thought.

"Fine. If you sit here for the next hour and prove to me you can study successfully, I will reward you," Mei said.

The blondes eyes widened. "Reward me? How?" Yuzu asked with a puzzled look.

"We can do anything of your choosing," Mei said.

Yuzu tapped her pointer finger on her chin, trying to decide what she should choose to do. "_Anything?" _Yuzu asked while grinning towards the younger girl.

Mei sighed once again and closed her eyes for a moment. "Yes..."

Yuzu smiled and put out a peace sign, "I'll tell you what I want to do afterwards then, so you can't change your mind!" And just like that Yuzu began drifting through pages of notes and homework. She was completed concentrated for the next hour. Mei had a look of disbelief in what she was seeing. This is the first time she'd ever watched the blonde look so determined. Finally looking up for once, Yuzu saw that Mei had been staring at her, even a slight smile appeared over the raven-haired girls' face. This caused Yuzu to blush slightly. '_Her smile is soo adorable," _she thought.

Shortly after, Yuzu huffed out a breath of air while stretching. "There, I finished everything."

"With five minutes left to spare too, I'm surprised," Mei responded. "Let me check over what you've done and then we can decide on your reward."

Yuzu handed her work to Mei and began to patiently wait for her to go over everything. Ten minutes pass before Mei finally speaks. "For someone who doesn't study, you seem to know what you're doing."

"Seriously? I thought I was doing it all wrong," Yuzu spoke in a surprised tone.

"Well you did get a few wrong, but it seems you did well enough for it to be a passing grade," Mei responded as she straightened up in her chair. "Good job...Yuzu."

Hearing Mei say her name for the first time, Yuzu was left speechless and blushing noticeably. Mei pushed the work back over to Yuzu.

"So...your reward then. What will it be?" Mei asked.

Yuzu smiled as she placed all her work back into her bag. "I want to hang out with you this weekend," the blonde said.

"Hang out?" Mei looked confused.

"I know we are pretty much opposites, but everyone likes to have fun. I was thinking we could go to the fair!"

Mei's eyes widened, as if she was expecting something much more different than the blonde was suggesting. "I have never been to one," the black-haired girl admitted.

Yuzu sat there shocked. She knew Mei had a different lifestyle than her, but would've never assumed the girl hadn't been to even one fair. "There's a first for everything! I think you'd have a lot of fun," Yuzu said happily.

"Are you sure that's a good idea with exams coming up so soon?" Mei asked.

"It's just one day. It wouldn't kill you to go out and do something that doesn't involve school," Yuzu responded. "I'll even study extra hard the next day to catch up."

Mei shrugged her shoulders, "If this is really what you want to do."

"Yay! I can't wait," Yuzu cheered loudly as she pumped her fist in the air.

Mei was seemingly less excited as she finished packing her bag and sighed. "Since our work is done here, I'll be leaving," the younger girl said while walking towards the front door.

"Wait," Yuzu paused for a moment seeming hesitant to ask. "Since you called me by my first name, can I call you by yours now?"

Mei rolled her eyes, "I suppose so, but not in front of others."

"Deal. I'll see you later then Mei!" Saying her name caused Yuzu to blush. She's said it to others, but never directly to the violet-eyed girl herself. Nodding her head, Mei walked out of the apartment.

'_Even after everything, it feels like we are getting closer,' _the blonde thought to herself as she smiled. She couldn't wait to spend time with the other girl over the weekend.

"It is getting pretty late. I haven't even eaten anything yet," Yuzu said out loud before yawning. She decided to have a quick dinner then head off to bed shortly after.

The rest of the week went by smoothly. The two even started meeting up as often as they had before. Yuzu wanted to be prepared for the exams since Mei was allowing a day off to have fun. If she didn't pass she knew all this would be for nothing.

On Friday, they'd met up at Yuzu's once again to cram in as much work as they could.

"I'm definitely going to pass these exams," Yuzu said as she stretched. Mei looked up from her book and nodded.

"You've been studying much better than before. I think you'll do well," the black-haired girl said as she closed the book in front of her.

Yuzu smiled shyly, "I'm kind of glad I have had the help." A shade of pink spread across her face. "I-I was thinking maybe since we have to leave early to get there at a reasonable time you could just stay the night."

There was silence from Mei, causing Yuzu to feel nervous inside. '_Shit, maybe I shouldn't have said that.'_

"Uh, I mean unless you don't want to-" suddenly Mei cut her off.

"That would be for the best I believe. Although I don't have any extra clothes with me," Mei spoke as she opened placed her books into her bag.

"Don't worry about that. You can wear mine!" Yuzu responded happily.

"Oh, thank you then. Since we are waking up early, perhaps we should rest now?" The raven-haired girl asked while using her hand to hide a yawn.

'_I still don't have a futon for her to use. We are going to have to share a bed again...' _the blondes nervousness rose again inside.

"I'm going to take a quick bath, so you can go ahead to bed first," Yuzu said as she headed out of the room.

Walking into the bathroom, Yuzu took a moment to look at herself in the mirror and groaned, "Geez, all this studying has made me look dead on the outside." After taking a bath, Yuzu reached out for her towel, but realized there wasn't one.

"Shit."

Rolling her eyes and sighing, Yuzu stepped out of the bath. "Of course out of every night, I don't have one when she is here. Maybe I could just quickly run and grab one," she said to herself quietly.

The blonde slowly opened the bathroom door, peeking back and forth to see if anyone was around. Seeing that the hallway was clear, she darted towards the towel closet. Right as she got to the door, her bedroom door opened and both of them froze.

Mei blinked a couple times while Yuzu tried her best to cover herself with her hands.

"...What are you doing?" Mei finally asked as she averted her eyes away from the blonde.

Yuzu's face was bright red. She quickly grabbed a towel to cover herself, refusing to even look in Mei's direction at this point. "T-there were no towels and I d-didn't know you'd be coming out h-here...sorry," Yuzu said with her head down as she walked passed the younger girl. Mei walked the opposite direction to the kitchen.

Yuzu shut the bedroom door and leaned against it. Cupping her hand over her face, she was filled with embarrassment. '_That was so awkward. How am I supposed to act like that didn't even happen?' _A moment later she heard footsteps heading towards her. Running to her closet, she quickly grabbed clothes to slip into. Luckily Mei decided to knock on the door rather than just entering.

"You can come in," Yuzu said. As Mei entered the room, the older girl still couldn't bare to look at her. '_I don't want things to be awkward...should I just say something?' _Yuzu thought to herself as she plopped onto the bed.

Before she could say anything Mei laid down onto the bed facing away from Yuzu. '_Okay I guess we are pretending it didn't happen,' _Yuzu laid down as well, still feeling awkward tension.

"Uh...goodnight Mei," Yuzu said quietly. Thinking Mei would remain silent, she turned to her side frowning.

"Goodnight," Mei responded with her voice being muffled by the blanket.

Even with what happened, Yuzu smiled to herself and shut her eyes. She was excited to spend time with Mei without any stress from studying for once. Tomorrow was surely going to be a day to remember.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it's kind of a short chapter, but I hope you guys enjoy it still! Thanks for all the support (:**

"Don't you own anything that isn't so...this?" Mei questioned as she tugged on the black low cut tank top. It definitely left little room to the imagination as her cleavage was exposed and fit perfectly to her slim body.

Yuzu was blushing as she scratched her head. "Well, you'll want to stay cool you know?" She let out a small chuckle.

Mei narrowed her eyes. Of course Yuzu has a closet full of clothes, but this was the most appropriate clothing she could find. At least the light blue skinny jeans she wore covered her bottom half.

"If you get uncomfortable I can bring a jacket to cover you later," Yuzu added.

"That would be nice," Mei said as she tied the converse shoes Yuzu let her borrow as well. Soon after eating breakfast, they headed out.

The fair they were attending was about 45 minutes on the train so they headed out around 11 am to make it around noon when everything would be fully set up. Unfortunately it being the weekend, they were aware that trains would be packed.

"Try to stay close," Yuzu said as she headed for the train doors. Mei followed closely behind, but it was difficult to pass through people. The raven-haired girl was being pushed around by other passengers. Yuzu noticed this is quickly and reached her hand out to Mei's to bring her closer. As she pulled, Mei was shoved forward causing Yuzu to be pushed against the wall, with Mei against her body.

Yuzu had no space to move her body comfortably. "When I said close, I wasn't expecting this," the blonde whispered into Mei's ear. Moving her face slightly she noticed the younger girl was blushing and a tint of pink covered her ears.

"If you could refrain from speaking, I'd appreciate that..." Mei muttered.

A surprised look appeared on Yuzu's face. "What's wrong...Mei?" Yuzu whispered into her ear again, changing her tone as she said the raven-haired girl's name.

Mei's eyes squeezed shut seemingly trying to ignore the warm breath against her skin. "Stop fooling around," Mei said harshly while narrowing her eyebrows.

Yuzu turned her head slightly and apologized.

'_Who would have thought miss council President would get turned on so easily,' _She thought to herself trying to hide her enthusiasm in finding out something new about Mei.

A moment later she moved her body back slightly to lessen the close contact. There still wasn't much space, so their faces were only inches apart as they made direct eye contact with each other.

'_I don't remember her eyes ever looking so...vibrant' _the blonde thought as she blushed. Being this close to Mei once again, it felt like they were the only two on the packed transport. Suddenly, Mei moved her head down as she pulled back a strand of hair behind her ear.

Finally, the train made its first stop, making room for the two to sit down. The rest of the train ride was sat in silence, besides a few people around them speaking.

Yuzu and Mei exited the train quickly to not get smothered by passengers again. Swiftly moving past the crowd of people, they stopped in an open area. Yuzu stretched her arms out, "Geez, that ride felt like it took forever!"

"That's what happens when you decide to go out on such a busy day," Mei said with a hint of annoyance.

"Aww, c'mon Mei, at least we get to have fun soon!" Yuzu said excitedly while smiling at the younger girl. Mei kept a straight face then sighed.

"Let's just get going before another rush of people come through," the raven-haired girl responded.

Yuzu pouted, hoping the usual non caring attitude of Mei's would change over the day. After all, this was their first time actually hanging out, and she wanted to make the most of it.

They were nearing their destination. From a distance tall rides could be seen, but the thing that caught Yuzu's eye the most was the Ferris Wheel.

"Look Mei!" Yuzu shouted while pointing towards the Ferris wheel, "We should ride that when it gets dark out. We will be able to see all the pretty lights."

Mei looked up and Yuzu noticed the younger girl had a strange expression on her face. '_What's with that look?' _The blonde thought, arching one eyebrow slightly.

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Yuzu asked.

"It's very...tall," Mei responded back in a worried tone.

Yuzu widened her eyes, suddenly realizing Mei was afraid of heights. Placing her hands on her hips, the blonde chuckled. "You're afraid of heights,huh? That's unexpected coming from someone like you." Yuzu tugged at Mei's wrist, "Don't worry, it won't be as bad as you think. I'll be there with you," Yuzu spoke in a calming voice.

Looking to her left as they got closer to the attractions, Yuzu spotted a ride that was spinning around at a high speed. "How do you feel about that ride?" The older girl asked.

"Is that even safe?" Mei gave a disgruntled look.

"Sure it is. They wouldn't let people ride it if it wasn't, silly! Let's go buy some tickets and try it out. If you don't enjoy it, we can find something else to do."

The two bought their tickets for a few rides and made their way to stand in line.

'_I wasn't expecting Mei to be like this. She usually doesn't seem bothered by anything...except me on occasion. Or most of the time actually' _Yuzu got lost in her thoughts and before she knew it they were next to get on the ride.

"Are you coming?" Mei asked, her voice slightly trembling.

Yuzu jumped from being startled, "Yeah, sorry. This is going to be super fun!"

Finding open seats for themselves quickly, they sat down and lowered the bar. Mei, still looking uneasy, grabbed onto the bar tightly, causing her knuckles to turn whiter. Seeing the usual stern girl act so vulnerable caused butterflies to float through Yuzu's stomach.

The ride spun slowly at first, picking up its pace as seconds passed. Yuzu laughed when it lifted up causing Mei to slide over and be pushed against her body. Noticing the raven-haired girl's eyes had widened because of this, Yuzu assured it was okay with a smile. As the ride continued to circle around, Mei eventually let loose and seemed to look like she was having fun.

It came to an end and the two scooted their way out of the seat. Mei stumbled a bit, so Yuzu reached out to grab her arm.

"A little dizzy?" Yuzu asked, amused at what she was seeing. "I told you it would be fun!"

"Indeed it was," Mei said as she fixed her posture. "Perhaps we should try other ones." A small smile could be seen, surprisingly enough.

A few hours passed and the two decided to take a break from all the excitement and finally eat. The sun would be setting in a little while and Yuzu had been waiting for the ride's lights to appear so they could ride the Ferris wheel together.

"This sure beats studying," Yuzu said before taking a bite of her food. "And this food is delicious too, even though it isn't the healthiest."

Mei nodded, "Studying for exams is very important." Pausing for a moment the violet-eyed girl looked around letting out quiet sigh. Yuzu was about to frown, but Mei continued speaking. "But I'm glad you brought me here today."

"I'm glad you agreed to come," Yuzu responded with a smile. A moment later Yuzu noticed Mei was shivering so she pulled out the jacket from her bag that she had brought.

"It is getting a bit chilly now that the sun is starting to set," Yuzu said as she handed Mei her jacket. "This should keep you warm."

"Thank you," Mei said while putting jacket on. Yuzu knew she'd eventually get cold as well, but as long as Mei was warm that made it worth the suffering.

'_This seems like something a couple would do...' _the blonde thought and began to blush.

"What about you?" Mei asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Yuzu questioned as she tilted her head to the side.

"Won't you get cold? You're only wearing shorts and a t-shirt." Mei was beginning to take the jacket off.

Shaking her head, the blonde waved her hands in front of Mei. "No, no I will be fine Mei. My body temperature is naturally warm!"

Giving a somewhat uncertain look towards Yuzu, Mei stopped removing the jacket. "If you insist."

'_Being close to you keeps me warm anyway...' _Yuzu smiled to herself.

After eating the two decided to walk around and check out some of the game booths. One consisted of throwing rings around a bottle, another you had to squirt a water gun to reach the end first, but there was a specific one that caught Yuzu's eye. Walking up to booth Yuzu's eyes gleamed with joy.

"Hello ladies, would you like to play?" The kind man behind the booth asked.

"Sure! What do I do?" Yuzu asked.

"I'll give you three darts and if you hit three balloons successfully popping them, you win a prize," he responded.

Yuzu grinned, "That sounds like fun, I'll try it out!"

Mei was off to the side, so Yuzu looked over to her and gave her a peace sign, "Wish me luck!"

Handing over money to the man, he gave her three darts. The blonde looked focused as she aimed for the first balloon. Throwing the dart, she hit it and it popped.

"Yes! That's one," Yuzu cheered.

Aiming once more she threw her second dart and once again the balloon popped. Smiling widely she began to feel anxious.

'_Okay...just one more and I can win a prize for Mei,' _Yuzu thought to herself, concentrating on her aim. Throwing her last dart skillfully and with perfect aim, she managed to pop the last balloon.

"Hell yeah!" Yuzu yelled out. A chuckle could be heard from Mei.

"Wow, you've got good aim kid!" The man spoke. "Congratulations, pick you prize," he pointed to the prize section. The first thing that caught her eye was a big brown teddy bear.

"I'd like that one please," she said while pointing to the bear.

"Here you go. Thanks for playing," he said as he handed the huge prize over to Yuzu. Mei had a look of shock on her face at what Yuzu was holding.

"Isn't he cute Mei?" Yuzu asked as she hugged the bear. "I want you to have him."

Mei's eyes widened, but soon her lips curved into a smile. "You didn't have to do that Yuzu," the younger girl said.

"I know, but I want you to have something to remember today," Yuzu said while giving the bear to Mei. It was as big as her so it was hard for the black-haired girl to look past the large fluffy bear.

"Thank you," Mei tried to say, but her voice was slightly muffled.

It was beginning to get dark and lights surrounding them flickered on. There was one last thing Yuzu wanted to do before they had to leave since it was nighttime.

"I think this would be a good time to ride the Ferris wheel. How about it Mei?"

Moving her head past the bear Mei nodded. "What do we do with this though?" She asked as she bounced the bear up slightly to get a better grip.

"I'm sure we can leave him with the attendant at the ride," Yuzu responded. "I think you'll really enjoy the view!"

Once again in view of the Ferris wheel, Mei looked up taking in its full height. This time she didn't look so intimidated though.

"Are you ready?" Yuzu asked with a smile while tugging at Mei's hand gently. Mei nodded in return. They placed their prized bear by the side and waited for the cart to spin around that they'd be seated in. Once they sat down, the attendant pushed the bar down and shortly after the ride began to move.

"I remember the last time I was on one of these was with my papa. I was so excited," Yuzu said.

"How long ago was that?" Mei asked.

"It was right before he passed away many years ago. It's something I've always cherished. I guess that's why I really wanted to ride it with you today. To create another memory," Yuzu looked over to Mei noticing a sad expression.

"I'm sorry about your father," Mei seemed completely sincere. The way she spoke is something Yuzu had never heard before. Yuzu grabbed onto younger girls hand and lightly squeezed it. Mei's hand didn't pull away even the slightest.

"Thank you, but it's okay. It was a long time ago. I mean, I really do miss him...but I know he's in a better place now."

The ride rose slowly as the two looked out onto the lit up scenery. A smile appeared on Mei's face and she squeezed the blondes hand in return unexpectedly. Yuzu began to blush, but luckily since it was dark, Mei didn't notice.

A few silent moments passed by. The two girls took in the beauty of their surroundings once they made it to the very top.

Mei glanced over to Yuzu who was already looking in the raven-haired girls direction.

"...really beautiful..." Mei said quietly

Yuzu couldn't hear entirely what Mei had said. "Hmm? What did you say Mei?"

Without hesitation, Mei responded quickly. "Nothing, just enjoying the view."

Once the ride finished it's cycle, they hopped off and grabbed the bear. "I almost forgot. We need to give this big guy a name!" Yuzu said.

"A name?" Mei looked confused while staring at the blonde.

"Of course, how about Akihiro?" Yuzu suggested.

"Akihiro? Okay...I like that name," Mei responded with a small smile.

"Let's head home now. It's getting late out," Yuzu said and the two girls began walking to the train station.

The ride home was a lot more peaceful and less crowded since it was later in the night. Mei had fallen asleep, leaning her head on Yuzu's shoulder. The blonde couldn't help but blush the whole way home, feeling as if her and Mei had made progress in getting closer.

"This was definitely a day to remember," Yuzu to herself out loud while looking at the sleeping girl in adoration.

Mei slightly stirred once she heard Yuzu's voice and her eyes began to flutter open. "Mm... did you say something?" Mei asked in a tired voice.

Yuzu grinned, "Just enjoying the view."


End file.
